


Welcome to Starling Prep Elementary

by inlovewithimpossibility



Series: Welcome to Starling Prep Elementary [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-20 15:17:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 32,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20677535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inlovewithimpossibility/pseuds/inlovewithimpossibility
Summary: When William Clayton and Adalyn Smoak bond over being the two new kids in Starling Prep Elementary's first-grade class, their parents are not prepared for what comes of their children's friendship. Plus, it doesn't hurt that both Oliver and Felicity are single.





	1. Chapter 1

“You excited for your first day of school, bud?”

Oliver keeps his tone light as he looks over at his son in the back of the car. The six-year-old is holding his backpack on his lap, having relaxed into his usual quiet and pensive state as they ride towards Starling Prep Elementary. Oliver has to admit that his son has been remarkably patient this morning with the amount his sister was fussing over him in his uniform and snapping pictures every chance she could. It’s the sort of attention that he knows William hates but he was incredibly well behaved and indulgent towards his newfound family.

The last few months have been an absolute whirlwind for the father and son. The move to Starling has been incredibly tough on William, Oliver knows. The poor boy has had so much to deal with, more than any six year old should ever have to think about, and Oliver just wants him to be able to be a kid again.

He’s hoping that maybe the normality of a school routine might help with that.

“I guess so,” William replies, his voice quiet as usual and he doesn’t look up at Oliver, merely stares at the bright colors of the Superman logo on his backpack.

“You remember all your numbers and your letters? I know we haven’t exactly been practicing them…” Oliver tries, wincing at the fact that they probably haven’t been going over William’s school work as much as they should have in the lead up to his first day.

“I’m not in pre-school.” The six-year-old replies curtly and Oliver frowns, closing his eyes for a moment.

“Right, okay. I’m sorry, kiddo, this is all still a bit of a learning curve for me.” He explains but William just looks at him for a long moment, that unreadable expression on his face, before sighing and turning to look out the window.

“You’re gonna come in, right? Parents have to come in on the first day, the leaflet said so.” He asks after a long moment and Oliver’s brow furrows at the thought of his son picking up the school pamphlet with the information in it for his first day.

“You read that?” He asks in surprise and that has William spinning to look at him again, an accusatory eyebrow raised.

“Did you?” He questions, with far more sass than Oliver thinks a six-year-old should be capable of, but he just sighs.

“Of course I did, William. I was just surprised that you did.” He explains calmly and William holds his gaze, obviously still looking for an answer to his original question. “Yes, I’m coming in with you.”

“Good, I’m already gonna be the weird, new kid. I don’t want to be the only kid without a parent either.” William tells him and Oliver frowns. He knew that William was feeling apprehensive about starting a new school, he thinks all kids probably would, but he didn’t realize the poor boy thinks his peers are going to see him as weird.

“No one’s going to think you’re weird. Kids transfer schools all the time, especially in elementary school.” He attempts to reassure him but William just shrugs.

“I guess.”

“You told Aunt Thea you were excited last night, didn’t you? That you liked your uniform?” Oliver tries and finally, William’s lips quirk a little.

“I do like my uniform.” He tells him and Oliver smiles, grateful that something’s gotten through to him in a positive way.

“I’m glad. You look very grown up in it.” He compliments but just as soon as it started, it’s over and William’s smile drops.

“How would you know? You only met me three months ago.” The six-year-old reminds him in that blunt tone that Oliver is starting to really dislike because it’s generally accompanied by a dig. He knows that William’s just lashing out, trying to find a way to deal with all the emotions running through his small body but it doesn’t make it hurt any less.

“Hey, how about we stop at Jitters on the way, huh? Get a hot chocolate?” Oliver suggests after a moment of awkward silence.

“Do we have time? I don’t want to be late.” William asks, his brow furrowing and Oliver smiles. He’s never met a kid as worried about being punctual as his son.

“We’re running half an hour early, buddy. Might as well take advantage of the miracle that is whilst it lasts.” Oliver jokes and William nods.

“Okay.” Another long moment of silence passes between them and then William taps on Oliver’s arm. “Can I have a muffin too?”

“If you promise to save it for a snack later.” Oliver laughs, not wanting to stem William’s sudden excitement as it’s such a rarity but also not wanting to overload him with too much sugar. He did already eat waffles this morning and a muffin on top of that right now would most likely be a recipe for a sugar crash in a few hours.

“Deal.” William nods and Oliver can’t stop the smile that spreads across in face in response to the victorious burst that rushes through him.

“John, could you…?” He asks, leaning forward to address his friend and driver but the security guard just nods, already crossing lanes.

“On it.”

* * *

“Ada, baby, you gotta walk a little faster than that.” Felicity chuckles as her six-year-old trails behind her a few feet away. The journey across town by bus is not what she was hoping for on Ada’s first day at Starling Prep but it seems the universe truly does hate her as her car is currently in the shop, dealing with its honestly pitiful habit of breaking down whenever she needs it most.

Oh, and the defunct brake pads.

So she’s stuck with trailing her newly declared first grader on three different buses to reach the frankly intimidating building of the prep school.

“Sorry Mama, I’m just thinking about all the new friends I’m gonna make!” Ada smiles as she skips to catch up with her, latching onto Felicity’s offered hand with a wide grin and making her immediately melt. Ada’s always been the most loveable of kids with the kindest spirit Felicity has ever known. The idea that something so light came out of something so dark continues to confound her but she wouldn’t change her little ray of sunshine for the world.

“Have you thought about some questions you might ask them yet?” Felicity presses as they round the corner and the school finally comes into sight.

“Uh-huh, favorite color, favorite ice cream flavor, favorite superhero,” Ada states with a declarative nod and Felicity chuckles.

“All sound great, baby girl, but remember you can’t get mad at someone just because their favorite superhero isn’t Wonder Woman.” She reminds gently, remembering one of the reasons she was called into Ada’s school last year. Turns out, her kid is incredibly defensive over the superiority of Wonder Woman. Not that she can entirely blame her, Wonder Woman is obviously the best.

“I know that, Mama! I’m not a kindergartner anymore.” Ada huffs as if it’s the most obvious answer and Felicity smirks.

Despite her kid’s bravado, Ada’s grip on her hand grows tighter as they head through the imposing gates of the prep school. Felicity knows that Ada’s excited but she also knows that any kid would be nervous about starting a new school.

The most heartbreaking thing was when Ada asked her a few nights ago whether the other kids would treat her differently for being a scholarship kid. It’s the sort of thing Felicity never wants her daughter to be worried about, people treating her differently because of how much money she does or doesn’t have, and she reassured her that no one even has to know she’s there on a scholarship. That seemed to soothe Ada’s nerves about it but Felicity is still a little worried by the way her daughter’s eyes widen as she takes in the large school building.

Starling Prep Elementary is exactly the kind of school Felicity wishes she could’ve attended growing up. The building is gorgeous, the facilities are state of the art, and every single staff member seems like they’re truly delighted to be there. There are bright colors everywhere and it’s just such a supportive environment.

It’s also the kind of school Felicity never could’ve imagined sending Ada to until her teacher at the public school last year suggested the scholarship scheme. Truly, Felicity had been unsure at first whether she wanted to put her then-five year old through such rigorous testing but seeing the way Ada lit up at being in Starling Prep’s environment and just how supported she could be at the school, it ended up being a no brainer. Plus, it’s one of the only scholarship schemes in the area where Ada won’t be put through the testing process each year. If her grades remain above a certain average, she’s covered for her entire time at Starling Prep.

Still though, Felicity’s being very conscious about supporting Ada’s academic side. She wants her to continue to grow but she’s also very aware of gifted child burnout being an issue and she doesn’t want to overwhelm her baby. She spent many hours on the phone debating it with her mother but in the end, they decided that they should take the chance Ada’s been given for what it is.

She can always transfer back to the public school if it gets to be too much.

“I know you’re not, my big first grader.” Felicity chuckles as they head over to the large first-grade sign on the playground where there’s already quite the large crowd of parents and children waiting.

“Oh, the preschool line is over there.” The woman at the back of the line smiles at the two of them, gesturing over to the line by the edge of the playground and Felicity frowns, going to correct her but Ada beats her to it.

“I’m starting first grade, actually.” The six-year-old declares, standing up tall and Felicity smiles warmly at the woman as surprise covers her face.

“Oh! I’m sorry, she’s just very small. You must be a transfer?” She asks, her apology written all over her face and Felicity chuckles, waving her off. She’s used to people thinking Ada is younger than she is. She has indeed always been very small, a curse of Felicity’s own genes. Her uniform is actually the preschool sizes and Felicity had to work some magic on the different colored sweater for the elementary school because even the smallest size had engulfed her daughter’s small frame.

“Yeah, this is Ada’s first day at Starling Prep. I’m Felicity.” She greets, holding out her free hand and the other woman relaxes with a smile, shaking her hand.

“Iris. Those two tornados over there are mine. Donald and Dawn.” Iris gestures a few feet away where two children are chasing each other in circles. When they slow for a moment, Felicity can see the similarity between the twins.

“Wow, twins! I don’t envy you, I have my hands full enough with this one.” Felicity comments, her eyes widening for a moment at the idea of having two Ada’s. She loves her daughter with everything in her but my god, she can be a handful sometimes.

“Never a dull day, that’s for sure.” Iris chuckles before she bends down in front of Ada, that warm smile still on her face. “You can go and play if you’d like, princess, Mommy’s just got to sign some forms for you.”

“Mama?” Ada questions, looking up at Felicity with a hopeful expression and the mother chuckles as she nods her head.

“Go on, baby. I’ll call you over. Just don’t go too far.” She instructs and Ada is already rushing off as Felicity finishes her sentence.

“Okay!” The six-year-old calls over her shoulder, her Wonder Woman backpack bouncing on her back as she runs.

“She’s a cutie. Nice braids by the way.” Iris compliments and Felicity smiles, glancing over at Ada’s two long French braids that they struggled through this morning.

“Thanks. I have to do something with it or she comes home looking like she’s got birds nesting in it.” The blonde groans, thinking about the mistake she’d made sending Ada to school with her hair down a couple of times last year.

“Tell me about it, I think my two actually roll around in the dirt,” Iris tells her, her eyes widening, and Felicity laughs, nodding her head. She watches for a moment as Ada approaches the twins, the two of them stopping when they notice her standing there. There’s a moment where they say something to each other but within seconds, Ada has joined in on their strange running game. “So are you new in town?”

“No, just a school transfer. We’ve lived in Starling for three years now.” Felicity explains, drawing her attention back to Iris who nods with a warm smile.

“Well then let me be the first to welcome you to Starling Prep.” She tells her and Felicity smiles.

“Thank you.” She nods but she frowns as she thinks of how to word her next question. She doesn’t want to appear as if she doesn’t want to be there but… “Do you know how long these things usually go on? My boss gave me the morning off but…”

“Oh, you’re fine. It’ll only be an hour or so, it’s just so we can get to know the new teacher and see the classroom and things. It’s nice to know where you’re leaving them, you know?” Iris explains with a smile and Felicity heaves a sigh of relief at the knowledge that she won’t abuse her boss’ kindness as well as that her question didn’t come off as rude.

“It’s certainly different from where she was last year. She basically had to drop and roll out the car as I did a drive-by.” Felicity snorts, taking in the large building in front of her again as she thinks of the small, one-level school she dropped Ada off at every day last year.

“Public school?” Iris questions with a smile and Felicity blushes. She hadn’t wanted to reveal that little tidbit.

“Yeah. Her teacher there recommended her for the scholarship here.” She tells her sheepishly, keeping her voice down, but Iris has a warm smile on her face.

“It’s why we had the twins tested for the scholarship programme. All of the public schools we looked around were just…” The other mother explains with a shudder and Felicity relaxes.

“She loved it, don’t get me wrong, but this is just something else. Even I’m a little intimidated.” She comments and Iris chuckles, nodding her head.

“You’ll get used to it. Just stick me with, I’ll show you the ropes.” The other woman smirks, nudging Felicity with her elbow which makes her smile. Maybe Ada’s right about how easy it is to make friends.

“Thank you.” She nods but Iris just waves her off.

“Us scholarship moms have got to stick together. Some of the others are leeches, I tell you now.” She explains, her eyes widening as she speaks and Felicity frowns.

“They can’t be that bad.” She states, her tone a little dubious but Iris steps in closer, lowering her voice.

“You see that woman over there? With the red coat?” She questions, gesturing to a woman stood behind them in the queue.

“Hmm.” Felicity acknowledges, subtly taking in the woman. she looks like a lot of the other parents here. She’s well-dressed and stands tall, obviously confident in herself. What makes her stand out, however, is the superiority evident in her expression as she surveys the playground.

“That’s Helena Bertinelli. Her daughter, Selina, was friends with my little girl, Dawn. Last year, she came over for a play date and when Helena found out that we’d fed Selina non-organic veg, she told her daughter that she couldn’t be friends with Dawn anymore.”

Felicity’s mouth drops open at Iris’ story. She knows that some parents are little obsessive over what their kids eat but to sever a friendship over something so trivial…

“Oh my god. I’m lucky if I can get Ada to eat a piece of broccoli, let alone only feeding her organic veg.” She snorts and Iris laughs, nodding her head.

“Exactly! I like you.” The other mother grins and Felicity smiles, an almost childish sense of pride rising in her.

The people in front of them finish and step away, revealing the desk set up and the teacher stood behind it. Felicity recognizes her from the testing Ada did for the scholarship and the woman has a kind smile on her face as the two of them step forward.

“Oh, we’re up! Morning Miss Stewart, this is my new friend, Felicity. That’s her daughter, Ada, playing over there with the twins. They’re transfers.” Iris greets happily, taking the clipboard that the teacher offers her. She’s obviously expecting the process and Felicity smiles bashfully when Miss Stewart turns her attention towards her.

“Morning Mrs. West-Allen. Hello Miss Smoak, it’s pleasure to have Adalyn joining our class.” She greets and Felicity nods.

“Thank you.”

“Does she like to be called Ada, or would you prefer we call her Adalyn?” The teacher questions and Felicity smiles at the question, grateful that she thought to ask.

“Most people call her Ada but she doesn’t mind either.” She explains and Miss Stewart nods, writing it down on her paper.

“I’ll speak to her about it then.” She smiles before she hands Felicity a clipboard of her own. “I just need you to fill these in and then if you could take your children through to the first-grade classroom and get them settled in their chairs, that would be fantastic.”

“Alright, thank you.” She tells her and quickly fills out the details that she needs to. It’s just a reminder of Ada’s contact details as well as if she has any pre-existing medical conditions which Felicity fills out quickly before handing it back to Miss Stewart with a smile.

“Adalyn, that’s so pretty,” Iris comments as they walk away and Felicity grins.

“Adalyn Maya, my mom picked it out.” She explains with a nod. She truly does love her daughter’s name.

“Oh, that’s gorgeous.” Iris comments, nodding as well as Felicity chuckles.

“Right? I was so overwhelmed trying to pick a name for her.” She admits, thinking of how many books and online sites she poured over, attempting to find the perfect name for her baby.

“Your partner didn’t help? Barry, my husband, was rattling off names from the moment I told him I was pregnant. He only got more excited when we found out it was twins.” Iris laughs flippantly but Felicity freezes.

It’s not as if it’s a comment that Felicity’s unused to. It’s pretty much second nature for people to inquire after the father of a child but seeing as how Ada came into the world is one of Felicity’s darkest stories, the reminder of Cooper still cuts deep. She’ll forever be grateful that he gave her Ada but her little miracle is truly the only positive part of that chapter of her life.

“There is no partner. It’s just Ada and I.” She corrects, smiling sheepishly and Iris freezes, her face morphing into a mortified expression.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to assume.” The other mother frowns, shaking her hand but Felicity manages a small smile to reassure her.

“It’s alright. I’m used to it.” She waves her off, smiling before she turns to look at the school building. “We should get inside.”

“Yes, where are they?” Iris questions and Felicity turns to help her locate their kids so that they can head inside.

* * *

“You said we wouldn’t be late,” William comments as they finally climb out the car outside the school gates.

“And we’re not late.” Oliver reminds him, gesturing to the large clock on the school building that tells him they still have five minutes before they actually are late. “I didn’t expect there to be that much traffic.”

“It’s a school,” William states as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world and Oliver swallows the urge to sigh as he forces a small smile onto his face.

“Alright, well, now we know, huh? Come on, let’s go find your teacher.” He prompts and William shrugs his shoulders after he finishes pulling on his backpack. Oliver offers him his hand and the boy initially refuses but as they near the school gates, his small fingers reach up to clasp his own. “You’re gonna be fine, kiddo.”

“But what if I don’t make any new friends?” William asks, looking up at him in a moment of insecurity and Oliver smiles, shaking his head.

“A kid as cool as you? Come on, everyone’s going to want to be your friend. You’ve got a Superman backpack. It doesn’t get much cooler than that.” He tells him with a smirk and he feels a sense of pride rise through him as a smile spreads across William’s face.

“Thanks, Oliver.” He tells him and Oliver nods.

The past few months have been incredibly difficult but it’s small moments like that that remind Oliver of just how worth it the struggle is. He loves William, he has done before he even laid eyes on him, and he just wants to be the best father he can. It just sucks that he feels like he’s starting the task with his hands tied behind his back.

The playground is practically empty as they walk onto it and Oliver is worried for a moment that they are late but there are still a few people stood by the first-grade desk and he leads William over to it with a small smile.

It doesn’t take long for those in front of them to clear and they step up to the smiling face of the teacher.

“Hello there, now you must be our new friend. William, isn’t it?” The teacher greets kindly, rounding the table to bend down in front of William. Oliver freezes for a moment as William’s grip on his hand tightens and the boy steps closer to him but he manages to give the teacher a reassuring smile before he looks down at his son.

“It’s okay, buddy.” He tells him and William looks up at him for a moment, his eyes wide before he takes a deep breath and steps back out, looking at the teacher.

“I’m William.” He tells her quietly, his voice barely louder than a whisper but the teacher still grins, nodding her head.

“Well, it’s wonderful to meet you, William. My name’s Miss Stewart and we’re going to have lots of fun this year, I promise.” She tells him in that bubbly tone that Oliver thinks perhaps only elementary teachers can manage. He does appreciate, however, that she waits until she gets a nod from William before she stands and walks back around the desk. “Now I just need you to fill these out, Mr. Queen, and then we can get inside and join everyone else.”

“We’re the last people?” William asks as Oliver takes the clipboard from the teacher’s hands. There’s a real sense of panic in his voice and Oliver covers the immediate frown with a reassuring smile.

“It’s okay. We’re not late, are we, Miss Stewart?” Oliver asks, looking over at the teacher who frowns before she looks up at Oliver. She obviously reads his expression because she smiles brightly as she looks back at William’s deeply concerned face.

“Not at all. Don’t worry, William, you’re right on time.” She promises and William’s frown finally dissipates. It doesn’t turn into a smile but Oliver will take what he can get. That’s what the learning curve of this summer has taught him.

Oliver finishes filling out the form and hands it back to the teacher who smiles gratefully at him.

“If you follow the signs for the first-grade classroom, I’ll be along in just a moment and we can get started. William, you can see if you can find your hook and your chair, alright? Your name should be on it.” Miss Stewart tells them with a kind smile and Oliver nods.

“It’ll be the only empty one,” William comments as he starts walking towards the school and Oliver sends a smile towards Miss Stewart as she freezes as his son’s words before he rushes to keep up with him.

“Alright kiddo, maybe turn the sass down, please? We’re not late.” He reminds him and William merely shrugs, not saying anything as they navigate the halls of the school.

Finally, they arrive at the first-grade room and quickly find William’s hook outside the door. Oliver helps his son shrug off his backpack and coat, pulling out his water bottle and supplies before they head into the full room.

It’s thrumming with activity, kids running around as they find their seats and flustered parents everywhere. Oliver smiles politely at the ones that greet him and helps William navigate his way through the full room, over to where his name is printed on a laminated piece of paper marking his seat.

“Looks like this is you, kiddo.” He tells him and William nods, placing the things he’s carrying down on the table.

“I think we’re supposed to put our water bottles in the tray over there. I can show you I’d you’d like?” The little girl sat in the seat next to William’s pipes up, looking at the young boy with a kind smile. She’s small, even for a six-year-old, and her long blonde hair has been pulled back in two long braids down either side of her head. She seems friendly and she’s obviously talkative so Oliver nods encouragingly when William looks up at him dubiously.

“Yes please,” William replies, his voice quiet but the little girl seems to take no notice of it as she pushes her chair back and offers William her hand so she can lead him across the busy classroom. William wavers for a second before he places his hand in hers.

“Back in a second, Mama.” The little girl grins, turning to look at a small blonde stood a few feet away who shakes her head amusedly as she watches who is obviously her daughter pull Oliver’s son away.

“Sorry about that. Didn’t mean for my daughter to abscond with your son the minute you walked through the door. Ada’s always been quick to try and make friends.” The blonde smiles, her blue eyes sparkling behind her glasses and Oliver takes her in for a moment before he blinks, stepping towards her.

“She’s certainly confident.” He comments with a smile and the mother laughs, nodding her head.

“What she lacks in size, she makes up for in bravado.” She comments and Oliver chuckles.

“William might need a little of that, maybe she’ll rub off on him.” He tells her with a shrug and the mother smiles brightly at him. She has one of those smiles that lights up her entire face, the kind you don’t see on many adults, as if she’s genuinely happy to be alive. It’s rare and Oliver finds himself drawn towards this woman for some reason.

“Felicity Smoak.” She introduces, extending her hand, and Oliver smiles, reaching out to shake it.

“Oliver Queen.” He replies but she merely laughs.

“Oh, I know who you are. You’re Mr. Queen. CEO and newly minted father. Sorry, that was insensitive. I’m sorry for your loss and your son’s loss.” She speaks quickly and Oliver frowns for a moment, watching the way she winces as her words compute in both their minds.

“Thank you. You know about that?” He questions as it actually processes what she just said. He knows that he’s in the public eye, don’t get him wrong, but he just wasn’t expecting fellow parents at the school to know about his situation.

“Oh, it was all anyone at the office could talk about for _weeks. _I um… I work at Queen Consolidated.” She explains and Oliver nods, everything clearing up in his mind. He spots the QC lanyard hanging around her neck and he frowns, trying to place whether he’s seen her face at the office.

“Oh! I haven’t seen you around?” He questions but that has her snorting before she shakes her head. There’s something so endearing about her and Oliver is incredibly surprised to find himself hanging on her every word. She’s gorgeous, don’t get him wrong, but not the usual kind of girl Oliver would go for. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a very sensible ponytail but her brightly painted lips catch his attention for a reason he just cannot place.

“That’s because I frequent about eighteen floors down from where you work. I work in the IT department.” She explains and Oliver frowns at the insinuation that he never leaves the executive floor. Well, okay, he rarely leaves the executive floor but he does see other parts of his company.

“Oh, I see. Well, maybe I’ll see you around a little more then.” He tells her with a smile and she chuckles.

“Maybe.”

“So, Ada was it?” He questions and Felicity nods with a small smile. “Did she enjoy kindergarten here?”

“Oh, no, we’re transfers. This is her first day at Starling Prep.” She explains, smiling brightly and Oliver frowns before a smile spreads across his face.

“Oh really? So we’re the newbies, huh?” He questions and Felicity chuckles, nodding her head.

“Seems like they stuck us together to fend for ourselves against the wolves.” She tells him and Oliver smirks, looking out across the room. He notices a lot of heads turn quickly away where the parents are stood around the tables and a few of the bolder mothers send him what he supposes are flirtatious waves or smiles.

“Wolves, indeed.” He comments just as William and Ada appear back in front of them.

“Told you we’d only be a minute!” Ada declares, smiling up at her mother with adoration evident in her eyes and Oliver watches as Felicity chuckles affectionately, bending down in front of her daughter to fix her cardigan falling off her shoulder.

“You were very fast indeed.” She tells her daughter softly, reaching out to run her hand across the little girl’s cheek. Oliver notices the lack of wedding ring practically immediately before he forces himself to think about why he would even notice that in the first place.

“William’s favorite superhero is Superman but I told him that we could still be friends. See Mama, I’m not a kindergartner anymore.” Ada tells Felicity and her mother laughs loudly, throwing her head back as she does so. Oliver realizes that there’s obviously a story to Ada’s words but all he can concentrate on is the way Felicity’s eyes sparkle as she laughs.

The tug on his pants draws him back and when he looks down to see William smiling up at him, the guilt rises in him.

“What’s up, bud?” He asks as he too bends down in front of his child and William grins, more joy on his face that Oliver thinks he’s ever seen.

“I like Ada.” He tells him quietly and Oliver grins, nodding his head.

“See, I told you you’d make friends. For what it’s worth, Ada seems like a really cool friend to have.” He tells him with a smile, plucking up the courage to reach out and tickle William just underneath his chin. His son laughs and Oliver thinks he just might tear up at the incredibly rare sound.

William’s grandparents assured him that his son was a very happy child before everything happened, even if he was always a little quiet, but since Oliver met him, a smile has been a rare sight on the small boy’s face. To see him so happy right now fills Oliver’s heart with love for his son and he reaches out to smooth over his hair.

“Alright, everyone! Good morning!” Miss Stewart greets as she walks through the door, settling a silence over the room. The children scramble for their chairs and William sends one last happy look Oliver’s way before he climbs into his seat next to Ada. Oliver watches him for a moment before he stands, moving back against the wall next to Felicity.

The next hour is spent with getting to know you activities for the children whilst the parents mostly just stand around and watch. Oliver’s grateful for the chance to see Miss Stewart interact with the children and he feels a lot calmer about leaving his son with her for six hours every day now that he’s seen first hand her kind spirit and encouraging nature with her students.

“Well, that’s it for our welcome portion! You’ve all got five minutes now to say goodbye to the adults that came with you today and then I’d like to see everyone back in their seats. I’m going to put a timer on the board, alright? Five minutes.” Miss Stewart emphasizes and the noise level rises in the classroom once more as chairs scrape across the floor and the children run into their parents' arms.

Oliver watches William’s slow movements but his attention is momentarily distracted at how quickly Ada flies from her seat into Felicity’s arms, making the mother chuckle as she lifts her daughter up. He can’t help but chuckle as the little girl starts talking a mile a minute and he pulls his attention away from them, smiling as William walks up to him.

He bends down to his level again, smiling at the boy as William grows obviously nervous again.

“You’re going to be here for pickup, right?” William asks, looking at him nervously and Oliver smiles as he nods his head.

“Of course, buddy. I want to hear all about your day and all your new friends, okay?” He asks and William nods, his shoulders slumping as he relaxes a little more.

“Okay. Bye Oliver.” The little boy tells him shyly and Oliver is completely astounded as he steps up to him and wraps his arms around him.

Oliver immediately freezes. In three months of fatherhood, this is only the third time William has hugged Oliver like this. He’s always been very careful not to overwhelm the small boy with hugs and things and William certainly has not been that affectionate since he moved to Starling. He likes to cuddle with Thea and there’s the occasional handhold but Oliver has only actually held his son twice before this moment. The first was just after the funeral when the poor boy had clung to him as he sobbed and the second was the first time Oliver tucked William into his bed in their new home in Starling. He cried both times and he can feel his eyes welling up now.

He doesn’t want to move too quickly so as to scare his son and his hands shake as he slowly lifts them to settle around William’s back. He revels in the feeling of being able to hold his son and closes his eyes, not even caring that he’s crying in a classroom full of children and parents.

It’s over just as quickly as it happened and William smiles nervously up at him as Oliver wipes away his tears.

“Have a great day, okay? I’ll see you at pick up.” He tells him and William nods, sending him one last shy smile before he turns back to his seat.

Oliver takes a long breath before he stands up, brushing off his pants to see Felicity smiling at him a few feet away. She gestures towards the door and Oliver nods, looking back at William one last time to see him chatting happily away with Ada.

“You okay?” Felicity asks quietly as they head down the hall and Oliver takes a deep breath, nodding his head.

“It hasn’t been easy since he moved here. I can count on three fingers the times that he’s hugged me. That was… wow.” He admits quietly, looking over at Felicity when she places a soothing hand on his arm.

“Makes it all worth it, doesn’t it?” She asks with a smile and Oliver nods, taking another long breath.

“I’m sorry, a bit heavy for the first day of school.” He tells her with a charming smile but she just shakes her head, waving him off.

“Don’t be silly. It was a beautiful moment, I’m glad I got to see it.” She tells him and Oliver blushes, looking down at his shoes for a moment.

“Are you heading back to the office? Can I walk you to your car?” He questions, smiling at her but she immediately blushes, reaching up to nervously scratch the back of her head.

“Oh, actually, my car’s in the shop. It’s only a ten-minute walk. I’ll be fine.” She tells him and Oliver immediately frowns, shaking his head.

“Don’t be silly, let me give you a ride.” He offers but she steps back, shaking her head profusely.

“Oh, I couldn’t. Really, it’s okay.” She tells him and Oliver chuckles, leveling her with a look.

“Felicity, I’m going there too. It’s no bother at all.” He tells her with a smile and she freezes, looking at him reproachfully for a moment before she bites her lip.

“Okay, well, if you’re sure.” She winces, finally nodding her head and Oliver smiles, unable to help himself from placing a hand on her back as he guides her towards where John said he’d be waiting.

“Definitely. This way.” He tells her and smiles at the light blush that covers her cheeks as he leads her towards the car.

* * *

Felicity freezes at the sight of the large town car.

She doesn’t exactly know what she was expecting, this is _Oliver Queen _after all, but she thought he might have at least driven his son to school by himself on the first day.

“It’s just easier when I get to work,” Oliver speaks and Felicity winces as she realizes she just said all of that out loud.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that out loud. My brain to mouth filter is defunct. Not that there’s an issue with having a driver, I just wasn’t expecting it!” She tries to explain but winces as she somehow just digs herself an even deeper hole.

She freezes, however, when she hears Oliver chuckle. She chances a look up at him and frowns when she doesn’t look angry. In fact, he’s smiling at her in what looks like amusement as he moves to open the door of the car for her.

“It’s fine, it’s odd honestly. It was hard to return to after my years away.” He tells her casually and Felicity frowns, scanning her mind.

“Oh right, you went off the grid for three years before you took over as CEO, right?” She questions as she remembers the rumors that got dragged back up when the news of his son dropped a few months back.

“Yes. It was the best thing I could’ve done at the time but when my father died, I knew I had to come back and take the position he always wanted me to have.” He explains and Felicity wonders why he’s so happy to spill this information so candidly to a practical stranger. He must be an incredibly open person, she thinks, which is really the opposite of what she’d expect from someone with as much money as Oliver Queen. “Shall we?”

Felicity jumps as he speaks and blushes as she sees him gesturing to the door that’s been open for an embarrassing amount of time now.

“Yes, sorry!” She apologizes and climbs inside the car, trying not to freak at the plushness of the seats or the quality of the leather that is _everywhere. _

“Now you don’t look like Oliver Queen.” A deep voice speaks from the front seat and Felicity jumps as Oliver climbs in the car behind her.

The voice belongs to a tall, smirking man who looks entirely too bemused at making Felicity jump.

“John, this is Felicity Smoak. Her daughter is in William’s class. She works at the company but her car is currently having some repairs fitted so I offered her a ride. Felicity, this is John Diggle, my driver, security guard, and most of all, friend.” Oliver explains and Felicity smiles nervously at the man who turns fully in his seat to extend a very impressive arm over the seat. She shakes his offered hand with slightly wide eyes.

“Pleasure to meet you.” She greets and he nods.

“Likewise, Miss Smoak.” He tells her and Felicity frowns, shaking her head.

“Oh please, call me Felicity.” She asks and he smiles, nodding his head. “So are you guys like actually friends or is that just something he says to absolve his rich person guilt?”

She hears Oliver choke on a cough that turns into a laugh behind her as John’s shoulders shake with his own chuckles.

“Oh, I like her.” He says in Oliver’s direction with a wide grin on his face. “We are friends. In fact, he’s my daughter’s godfather.”

“I met John during my time away. When I found out he was in security and looking to move back to Starling but was struggling to find work, it seemed like the perfect solution.” Oliver explains as Felicity sits back in her seat and she nods, smiling at the two of them.

“That’s sweet.” Felicity comments, truly meaning her words. To know that when Oliver returned to his life of mansions and chauffeurs, he gave a friend he met whilst he was away a job, it paints the billionaire in a much better light than Felicity generally views people with that much money.

“Alright, let’s get you two to work. Seatbelts on?” John asks and Felicity giggles, only because that’s what she asks Ada before she drives off. She pulls the belt over herself and clicks it into place, smiling when John nods approvingly at her through the rear-view mirror.

She likes this guy already.

“So, how long have you worked at QC?” Oliver asks and Felicity smiles, grateful at his attempt to make conversation after a long pause of awkward silence.

“Three years, I moved here from Vegas for the job.” She tells him with a smile and he frowns, a small smirk coming across his face.

“Oh, Vegas. I used to love Vegas.” He tells her and Felicity snorts, nodding her head. She knows that Oliver Queen was quite the rebellious teen and she also knows that Vegas was practically made for him. Young, rich, and idle with money to blow is basically the definition of her home city’s demographic.

“It’s far less exciting when you grew up there, I promise.” She tells him with a chuckle and Oliver grins.

“Oh, so you grew up in Vegas…?” He asks, raising an eyebrow as he prompts her to continue. She blushes a little. it’s weird to just hand your life story over to a stranger but there’s something about this man in front of her. She wants to get to know him so she supposes she has to let him know her. Plus, he was just so open and vulnerable with her in the hallway.

“Grew up in Vegas, moved to Massachusetts for school, I went to MIT. Then a couple of months before graduation, I fell pregnant with Ada. I finished out the year, got my diploma but no companies wanted to hire a pregnant graduate so I moved back to Vegas and back in with my mom.” Felicity explains succinctly, lingering briefly for a moment on how odd it is that she can sum up such a tumultuous period of her life in such a brief way. Back then, it seemed like an ever-flowing river and was just swept up in the tide and heading out to sea.

“Oh wow, so it’s just you and Ada now?” Oliver asks, smiling at her in a way that makes her stomach flutter. That hasn’t happened to her in years.

“Yup. My mom visits, when she can, but plane tickets are expensive.” She tells him and Oliver nods. There’s a rather intense look on his face and it’s obvious that he’s thinking something through deeply. She looks at him for a moment and he gives her a small smile when he notices before taking a deep breath.

“I think it’s incredible that you’ve done all that on your own. I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done these past few months with my sister or John and his wife. They’ve all helped me so much with getting William settled and helping him deal with being in a new place.” He tells her and Felicity can see how worried he’s been about all of this. She can’t imagine what it felt like, to find out you’re a father to a six-year-old. At least with Ada, Felicity had those seven months to get used to the idea that she was now a mother. It must be so overwhelming to suddenly have the responsibility of being a parent thrust upon your shoulders.

“It’s hard on kids, moving around, but they do learn to adapt. You wouldn’t think it now but Ada had a really rough time when we first moved to Starling.” Felicity tells him with a reassuring smile. She thinks of how much she’d worried back then that she had just ruined her baby girl’s life. Packing up your life and moving across the country is one thing but also packing up your child’s life is a whole different ball game.

“Seems like she adapted pretty well.” Oliver comments and Felicity chuckles, thinking of Ada’s actions back in the classroom with William. Her daughter really is extremely sociable and open.

“Now maybe. When we first got here, it was like a different spirit had taken host in her. She was so quiet, for so long. All she’d known for her entire life was me, my mom and Vegas. I took two of those things away and it was really hard on her.” Felicity tells him with a small smile. She thinks about how she was so sure Ada was never going to regain her happy attitude back then and how scared she’d been about that.

“What changed?” Oliver asks and Felicity smiles properly now.

“She started pre-K. Being around other kids her age, she just lit up.” She explains and Oliver nods, that frown back on his face.

“I hope William adapts soon.” He states with a soft sigh and Felicity smiles, her eyes meeting his properly since this back seat conversation began.

“He will, kids are resilient.” She tells him with a believing nod but Oliver merely sighs again.

“He’s just been through so much, I just want to be as good as a father to him as I can.” He tells her and Felicity smiles because it is obvious that this man doesn’t realize how great of a father he already is.

God, three months into motherhood and Felicity was practically ready to pull her hair out and she hadn’t been running a multi-billion dollar company alongside it all.

“The fact that you’re so worried about that shows that you already are. Can I give you one small nugget of wisdom? From one single parent to another?” She asks shyly, knowing that not everyone wants other people’s advice and she certainly doesn’t want to come across as if she thinks that she’s better than him.

“I would love some wisdom right now,” Oliver tells her and she chuckles, knowing exactly what it feels like to be thrown in the deep end.

“Kids care about the time you can invest in them. They’re not going to remember all the fancy toys or the clothes you buy. It’s the memories with you that they’ll hold onto so I try and foster those the best I can.” She explains with a small smile.

She thinks about how her perception of her own childhood has changed since she became a mother. For so long, she thought that her mother hadn’t cared or that she didn’t want to spend time with her or that they were simply too different to ever live cohesively together. It was only when she was old enough to fully understand what a tough spot they’d been in, had she started to appreciate the sacrifices her mother made to give her the best life possible. If Donna hadn’t worked three jobs to support Felicity, Felicity would never have been able to go to college and gain the qualifications to work at QC. This job means that she has more time to spend with Ada and a stable income to ensure that a roof stays over her daughter’s head. Despite the understanding of Donna’s sacrifices, she’s always been careful to foster that loving relationship with Ada. She never wants her daughter to feel like she can’t talk to her, the way Felicity once felt like she couldn’t talk to Donna.

“Thank you,” Oliver tells her with a small smile and Felicity nods, biting her lip when their prolonged eye contact causes her stomach to flutter in that long-forgotten way once more. She notes that Oliver has really interesting eyes. They’re blue, like her own, but they have specks of so many different colors in them.

“We are here.” John’s voice makes her jump a mile off her seat. She notices the smirk on the security guard’s face and she frowns, leaning forward to smile at him.

“Thank you very much for the ride, Mr. Diggle.” She tells him and his smirk grows into a genuine smile as he turns to look at her once more.

“You’re welcome, I hope I’ll see you again soon.” He replies and Felicity nods.

“I hope so too.”

She thanks Oliver as he helps her out of the car and they head into the main building. She taps her security card against the gates to let herself through, smirking as Oliver has to walk to the end to be waved through by the guard.

“I lost my pass over a year ago. I’m just too scared to tell the guards.” He admits to her, gesturing over to the men working on reception who honestly scared Felicity at first.

She laughs at his statement, thinking it hilarious that he’s still scared to ask them as the CEO of the entire company.

“Do you need a lift back to the school to pick Ada up?” Oliver asks her and she spins back around to look at him, smiling as she shakes her head.

“Oh no, the creche here have a policy where their employees will collect students from schools within a mile radius. They’ve been collecting Ada since pre-K, which is great for me because I have already exhausted my boss’ goodwill about me missing this morning.” Felicity explains with a smile. The creche at QC was honestly one of the major pulls to the company. They offer free childcare for single parents or children whose parents are both employed by the company. Their workers are highly vetted and well experienced in working with children and Ada loves the environment.

“Oh okay. Then I’ll see you around?” Oliver asks, extending his hand with a smile and Felicity chuckles. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear he looks a little disappointed. She’d be lying if she wasn’t also a little disappointed. Oliver’s nice and very intriguing. She’d like to get to know him more.

“I guess so. Goodbye Oliver.” She tells him happily, shaking his offered hand.

“Bye Felicity.”

They freeze for a moment, their hands still intertwined before Felicity nods and heads over to the elevator so that she can get to her desk. She watches as he walks over to the executive elevator and they share one last small smile before she enters the busy metal box.

* * *

Oliver tries to ignore the disappointment that he’s not giving Felicity a lift back to the school as he drives himself over to pick William up. He tells himself that it’s because it was so interesting to speak to another single parent who seems to understand it but even he can’t deny that it also has a little to do with how pretty she is.

It’s funny. He turned that side of him off when he found out about William. He’s done nothing but concentrates on his son for three straight months and then all of a sudden, this blonde has got him upside down in a day.

Shaking his head, he climbs out the car after he’s parked and heads towards the gates. He told Digg that he could handle pick up and asked if he could stay at the company whilst he got William from school and ran him back to the apartment where Thea is waiting. His security guard wasn’t particularly happy about it but he complied.

“Oliver!”

Oliver freezes at the tone of William’s voice as he turns to see his son rushing across the playground towards him with an actual grin on his face.

“Hey, kiddo! Did you have a good first day?” He asks, blinking back his surprise at the sight and replacing it with a genuine smile as he looks down at his son.

He’d been surprised actually, how much William looks like him when he first met him. It’s was dumb of him to assume that William would have looked like Samantha just because he’d been raised by her up to this point but that had honestly been his thought process. His son, however, has his eyes and smile as well as his coloring. He has Samantha’s thick dark hair and her nose but in general, he looks a lot like Oliver did at his age.

Especially in the same uniform he used to wear.

“Uh-huh, Ada and I played together all day. She’s really good at numbers too. And reading. Miss Stewart says we get to choose our reading books from the same box.” William tells him as they start to head to the gate and Oliver freezes at the speed at which his son is talking. He’s practically rambling. It’s absolutely incredible.

“That’s awesome, Will. Did you make any other friends?” Oliver asks and William shrugs before he nods.

“I guess. We played with Donald and Dawn at lunchtime, Ada met them before school. They’re twins. They were super nice but I don’t think they’re as cool as Ada. Did you know her mom works at your company?” William questions, the words rattling off his tongue and Oliver is taken aback once more. He’s not sure William has ever said that many words to him at once.

“I did know that. I actually gave her mom a lift into work this morning.” Oliver answers and William nods, that same smile still on his face.

“She seemed really nice too.” He states and Oliver smiles.

“She was.” He confirms and William stops talking for a moment. Oliver thinks that the random burst of energy might be over but then he starts talking again.

“Ada goes to the company after school, they have a group where kids whose parents work there can go and be together. Will I get to go there?” The small boy questions, looking up at him and Oliver could read the hopeful expression on his face from a mile off.

“I was going to ask you about that actually. Ada’s mom mentioned it earlier.” He replies, a small frown on his face. He truly has been considering the QC creche, it seems like it might be more of a long term solution. He had been considering hiring a nanny but if being at school has had this positive of an influence on William after only a day, maybe spending more time with kids his own age is the best route forward.

“Can I go? Then I can play even more with Ada.” William questions and Oliver swears that there’s even a spring in his step.

It’s not that he’s begrudging this sudden change in his son, he’s just confused by the quick turnaround from the boy he and Thea have gotten to know up to this point.

“Well, we’ll have to see. I’ll have to look into it but not today, okay? Aunt Thea already took the afternoon off so that she could spend time with you after your big first day.” He reminds him and William’s eyes fill with recognition.

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that. She said we were going to get ice cream.” William states and Oliver actually thinks that might be excitement he hears in his son’s voice. The boy freezes however and looks over at him with his eyes wide. “Oops. I wasn’t supposed to tell you that.”

“It’s okay, kiddo. I think everyone deserves ice cream after a successful first day of school.” Oliver chuckles, shaking his head at his sister’s antics. “So everything else was good? You like your teacher, your work?”

“Uh-huh. Miss Stewart’s really nice and we did a lot of fun things. I think we might do harder things as the year goes on though.” William states with a small frown as they reach the car and Oliver chuckles, opening the back door for him.

“Probably, but they won’t seem as hard because you’re only going to get smarter and smarter.” He tells his son as William climbs into the car and William shrugs as he settles back in his seat.

“I guess so.” He states but he keeps that small smile on his face.

Oliver isn’t entirely sure what happened in that classroom today but he knows that it had something to do with that sweet little girl with her two long braids. It seems like Ada has had just as much of an impact on William as her mother has had on Oliver.

* * *

Felicity cannot stop the smile that grows on her face as she heads down to the creche to pick Ada up after she finishes work. It’s been a long day with a lot of computer issues that could have so easily been avoided and she’s extremely tired. What she needs is her failsafe balm for a bad day; a cuddle with her baby girl.

Charlotte, one of the newest workers at the creche, waves her inside and points out where Ada is sat on a bean bag in the corner of the room with her nose stuck in a book. A smile spreads across Felicity’s face at the sight of her and heads over, bending down in front of her and smirking when the little girl doesn’t even notice her. So, engrossed in her book.

“Now where’s my big girl first grader?” She questions, placing her hands on Ada’s legs. The little girl jumps but as she looks up, that large grin spreads across her face.

“Mama!” She cries as she throws herself towards her and Felicity chuckles, easily lifting the small girl into her arms.

“Hi, baby! Oh my goodness, did you have the bestest first day ever?” She asks, giggling as Ada’s arms wrap around her tightly. She kisses all over Ada’s cheeks and the little girl giggles, squirming around.

“Mama, you shouldn’t say bestest, it’s just best!” Ada tells her and Felicity chuckles, shaking her head.

“Oh sorry, goodness, I’m going to have my work cut out with such a smart big girl around the house.” She tells her but Ada just giggles again, shaking her head.

“I’m only six, Mama!” Her daughter cries out with a laugh and Felicity chuckles, holding Ada tight to her as she kisses her cheeks again.

“I know but when you were born, I could fit you in my pocket.” The mother bemoans but Ada just continues to laugh, shaking her head.

“You’re silly, Mama.” Ada states and Felicity chuckles, kissing her a few times more before placing her down on her feet.

“Alright, go grab your bag, little monkey.” She instructs, tapping Ada on her back as a prompt and the little girl takes off running. Felicity chuckles and looks up to see Charlotte making her way over with a small smile on her face. “Hi, was she alright?”

“No problems at all. Just very excited about her new school and her new friends. She could not be quiet about one little boy called William.” Charlotte answers with a chuckle and Felicity smiles, nodding her head.

“They’re sat next to each other. Seemed like they hit it off this morning.” She explains and Charlotte nods.

“Certainly seems that way.”

“Oof! You ready to head home, munchkin?” Felicity huffs as Ada smacks into her side heavily, her little arms wrapping around her waist.

“Uh-huh, can we have Big Belly for dinner?” The little girl asks, looking up at her with her eyes wide in the way that Ada knows wields some power over adults. What her baby girl hasn’t quite figured out yet is that Felicity is her mother and is therefore immune to such looks.

“I’ll think about it.” She chuckles, running a hand over Ada’s braids which are considerably messier than they were earlier.

“But I was really good and it is kind of a special day!” Ada presses, rising onto her toes and pressing more into Felicity’s side.

“I’ll think about it doesn’t mean no, Ada. Now say goodbye to Charlotte.” Felicity instructs, shaking her head with an amused smirk, when Ada lets go of her and turns towards the worker in the creche.

“Bye-bye, Charlotte! See you tomorrow!” Ada waves, smiling up at the other woman who chuckles and waves back.

“Bye Miss Ada.”

Felicity smiles at Charlotte before she takes the hand that Ada has extended up towards her.

“We gonna take the bus home, Mama?” Ada asks as they head back down the corridor and Felicity smiles, squeezing her hand.

“No, baby. The garage called so we’re going to get the bus there to pick the car up.” She explains and Ada nods, skipping a little as they reach the elevator.

Ada’s remarkably well behaved on the bus which Felicity is impressed by because she doesn’t particularly want to take the bus across town at rush hour and she’s not tiny, six years old, hungry, and steadily approaching her bedtime.

Well, arguments could be made for three of those she supposes.

For her good behavior, however, Felicity relents to Big Belly. It’s been a big day for Ada after all.

This comes through when Ada _asks _to go to bed after they finish eating. Ada is six years old and therefore it’s generally assumed she never _asks _to go to bed.

“Charlotte was saying that you were very happy to talk about your new friends.” Felicity prompts as she tucks the little girl into her bed. This apartment is a lot nicer than the one they shared with her mom back in Vegas and it also means that Ada gets her own room, decorated in her own, very unique style. The covers are one of Felicity’s favorite parts of the room, the baby blue color is wonderfully sweet and appropriate without being gaudy like so many of the bedclothes made for children.

“Uh-huh! William is soooooo nice, Mama. He let me have some of his sandwiches at lunch and it was so good. It has that… pesta stuff that you can’t eat because of the nuts.” Ada tells her with a sleepy smile, frowning as she obviously tries to remember the right word.

“Pesto?” Felicity questions to gently correct her and Ada grins, nodding her head.

“That’s it! I made sure to ask Charlotte to brush my teeth though because I didn’t want to make you all puffy if I kissed you!” The little girl tells her, pouting her lips as a prompt and Felicity chuckles, leaning forward to kiss her.

“Well, that’s very kind of you. Thank you. I hope you said thank you to William for sharing his sandwich.” She smiles softly, smoothing the comforter around Ada’s small body.

“I did! And I gave him half my cookie! Can you believe that he had nothing chocolate in his lunch? Nothing at all!” Ada informs her as if it’s the worst news in the world and Felicity smiles, shaking her head.

“Well did you ask if it was because he couldn’t have it?” She asks, wondering if maybe the poor kid had an allergy to something within chocolate. That would be a poor thing indeed. On top of everything that kid’s been through recently…

“I did, because I know some people can’t eat some things but he said it’s just because his daddy’s really healthy. He said that his daddy eats something called kale. What’s kale, Mama?” The little girl questions and Felicity snorts. Yeah, it makes sense that her daughter doesn’t know what kale is. She wants her kid to be healthy, sure, but she’s not mean.

“It’s green and it’s good for you.” She explains succinctly and Ada frowns for a moment before she nods.

“William said that he tried it once and it’s spiky and not very nice at all. He said that he supposes his daddy must be nice because he didn’t make him eat it.” Ada informs her and Felicity smiles with a nod.

“Well, I’m sure William’s daddy makes sure he’s healthy in other ways too.” She covers, reaching out to smooth Ada’s hair back from her face.

The little girl smiles at her for a moment, her eyes starting to droop, but then she frowns and she looks up at her.

“Mama?” She questions drearily and Felicity chuckles, still stroking over her hair.

“Ada?” She asks right back in the same tone but Ada doesn’t take the teasing.

“William doesn’t call his daddy, Daddy? Why is that? He calls him Oliver.” She questions and Felicity takes a deep breath. It’s been a long day and honestly, she’d like to shift a conversation that could have the possibility to be confusing for Ada to a day when she’s not this ridiculously tired.

That’s not how parenting works, however.

“Well baby, William only just found out that Oliver is his daddy and Oliver only just found out that William is his son. For a long time, it was just William and his mom.” She starts and Ada’s brow furrows deeper.

“Oh. So sometimes daddies don’t know they have kids?” She questions and Felicity smiles with a small nod.

“Sometimes.”

“I thought if kids didn’t have daddies, it was like us and their daddy was dead,” Ada tells her after another long pause and Felicity smiles, continuing to stroke over Ada’s hair in an attempt to calm her confusion.

“Sometimes it is, but there are lots of reasons that people have families that look a little different. It doesn’t make them any less of a family though, okay?” She explains, watching her wording carefully. These kinds of conversations are something she generally enjoys, even though they are difficult. It’s the conversations like this that allow her to help nurture an environment where Ada feels like she can talk and where compassion is at the forefront of their conversation.

“Okay,” Ada tells her and Felicity thinks she might get away with this one lightly until Ada frowns once more. “Is that why William seems a little sad? Because he had to leave his mom?”

“His mom didn’t want to go away, baby, she got in an accident. That’s probably why William might seem a little sad because he misses his mom.” Felicity tells her carefully and Ada looks at her, her face the picture of childlike confusion.

“So she’s dead, like my daddy?” She questions and Felicity blinks at the bluntness of her daughter’s statement before she paints her sad smile back on her face.

“Yeah, baby.” She confirms, stroking Ada’s hair once more.

“That must be so sad for him!” Her daughter exclaims and Felicity nods with a small smile.

“Yeah, it is, but William’s going to be okay. His daddy loves him very much, I promise.” She assures Ada, not doubting her statement in the slightest. Oliver may be struggling to settle into parenthood but she can see that he truly loves his son with his whole heart and she knows from experience that that’s what matters most.

“He’s really nice. I’d like to keep playing with him.” Ada tells her and Felicity smiles, nodding her head.

“I’m sure he’d like that too.” She tells her daughter before she takes a deep breath and steers the conversation away. “Alright, little miss, it is way past your bedtime. Which book do we want tonight?”

After _three _books, lots of kisses, and a lot more tucking in, Felicity slips out of Ada’s room with a long sigh. Heading towards the kitchen, she pours herself a glass of wine and reaches for her phone to dial the number she’s been wanting to call all day.

“Hey, baby.”

The voice is a soothing balm and Felicity feels her shoulder slump in relaxation.

“Hi, Mom.” She replies softly, moving to sink into the couch as she allows the alcohol to slip down her throat.

“You okay?” Her mother’s concerned voice sounds and Felicity smiles with a shake of her head.

“Yeah, just exhausted. Today was a long day.” She explains and hears her mother hum on the other end of the line.

“You finally get your car back?” Donna questions, having been the second person Felicity called after the breakdown company when it had stopped working.

“Yes, finally. The guy actually gave me a really great deal which I am very happy about after having to splurge so much on Ada’s uniform.” Felicity tells her mother with a sigh. The cost of all the uniform pieces had not been covered under Ada’s scholarship and it set Felicity back a pretty penny.

“She looked so cute though! I swear private school uniforms are the sweetest thing ever!” Donna squeals, referring to the pictures Felicity sent her that morning.

“She did look absolutely adorable.” The younger mother agrees, smiling at the thought of her baby girl.

“Did she have a good first day?” Her mother asks and Felicity hums.

“Yeah, couldn’t stop talking about it. I’ll get her on the phone tomorrow I promise, there was just a lot going on today.” She promises but her mother dismisses her quickly.

“I know baby, it’s okay.”

“It’s just… I’ve been thinking about Cooper. Do you think… if he knew, he wouldn’t have done it?” She asks with a wince and it only depends when she hears the long sigh her mother releases.

“Oh sweetie, you know that even if he hadn’t, he would have been in prison for a really long time. He couldn’t have been a father anyway.” Donna reminds her and Felicity hums before she takes a long breath. All this talk of William’s mother has her reeling as she thinks of the lost parent of her own baby girl.

“I just can’t stop wondering.” She tells her mom, shaking her head with a frown.

“Honey, it was almost seven years ago. You did it, all by yourself, you didn’t need that scumbag anyway.” Donna tells her sternly and Felicity sighs.

“Mom…” She starts but her mother is strong in her conviction.

“No, I know he gave you Ada and I will always thank him for that miracle of a little girl but Cooper was not a good man, Felicity. He stole your work and used it to commit a federal crime. That’s not the kind of father a little girl needs.” She states soundly and clearly and Felicity sighs.

“It’s the kind of father I had.” She reminds her gently and it is only then that Donna herself releases a long sigh.

“I know and look what that got us both.” Her mother reminds her, her voice gentle despite her harsh words.

“You’re right. It’s just hard to wonder.” Felicity sighs as she shakes her head in a desperate attempt to clear it and she hears her mother chuckle dryly.

“I know, believe me, baby, I know. I asked myself what if so many times. What if he’s changed, what if he’d stayed, what if he’d chosen us, but at the end of the day, what if gets you nowhere. What we have is right now and you have the most wonderful little girl who is smart and sweet and polite and respectful. You did all that.” Donna tells her and Felicity can hear the proud smile in her voice. She allows her mother’s voice to wash over her and have its usual calming effect. She knows that her mother is correct and that she can look and her daughter with pride knowing that she created such a wonderful human the way that Donna is allowed to take all the credit for Felicity.

“You’re right, thanks, Mom. You always know the right thing to say.” She tells her with a small smile.

“That’s what mamas are for, baby girl.” Donna chuckles and Felicity does too before she involuntarily yawns loudly. “Get some sleep, I’ll talk you to tomorrow.”

“Okay, I love you, Mom.” She tells her with a soft smile.

“I love you too. Give Ada a kiss from me.” Her mother requests and Felicity nods.

“I will.” She confirms before the line goes dead and she scoops up her wine and tablet and heads to bed.

Tomorrow will be a new day.

* * *

Oliver sighs as he finally gets home from work, keying into the code of the apartment before he softly shuts the door behind him in case it slamming wakes his son.

His sister is sat at the island with a glass of wine and her phone and she smiles brightly at him as he enters.

“Hey.” He greets, laying his bag on the table and shirking his jacket so that he can roll up his sleeves.

“Hi, Ollie.” Thea smiles and nudges an already filled glass of wine in his direction. He smiles gratefully as he takes it, sighing as the stress of the day washes away.

“He go down alright?” Oliver questions as he glances towards the stairs up which he knows his son is sleeping.

“Oh yeah. God Ollie, it was like he was a completely different child. Whatever happened at that school today…” Thea starts and Oliver cannot stop the grin that spreads across his face as he thinks of how happy William had seemed when he collected him.

“He made a new friend.” He replies simply and Thea snort, nodding her head.

“Oh, I know. Ada. She was all he could talk about.” The young girl laughs and Oliver chuckles too as he nods his head.

“I met her this morning, very sweet little girl. Very outgoing. Her mom’s lovely too.” He tells her but regrets his words immediately as his little sister smirks and her eyebrow raises.

“Oh. Is she now?” Thea teases with a grin, making Oliver sigh. His sister is nothing but relentless when it comes to his dating life. She thinks that because she is so ‘utterly happy’ with her boyfriend, Roy, that he deserves someone as wonderful. He appreciates her efforts because he knows they come from a place of love but they can be exhausting at times.

“Nothing like that, Speedy. I gave her a lift to the company since her car was in the shop. She works there.” Oliver explains with a chuckle and that gives Thea pause as she takes another gulp of her wine.

“At QC? Wow, what a coincidence.” She notes and Oliver nods.

“Right? But she’s absolutely delightful.” He tells her, unable to stop the smile that spreads across his face as he thinks of Felicity. She was so wonderful despite his emotional outburst and he’s been unable to get her words out of his head all day.

“And she’s married, got a partner…?” Thea questions and Oliver levels her with a look.

“Single mom. Not that it matters.” He answers and Thea shrugs her shoulders, lifting her glass towards her once more.

“Was just asking.”

Oliver shakes his head at his sister’s antics as he finishes the glass of wine. He places the glass within the sink and rounds to kiss her on top of her head.

“Thank you so much for taking the afternoon off. I think I’m going to do some research into the creche at the company though as a more permanent solution.” He explains to her and Thea frowns, looking up at him in concern.

“You think he’d be alright with that?” She questions and Oliver smiles, thinking of the conversation he already had with her.

“Ada goes there after school. He wanted to go today.” He informs Thea and she chuckles, shaking her head.

“I see.” She smirks before she finishes her own wine and rises from the stall. “I think that little girl might have a real positive impact on him.”

“I think she might too.” Oliver sighs and feels himself relax fully for the first time in three months.

He knows that William still has a lot to work through but for the first time since he met his son, he thinks that they may actually be the way to being okay.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have it! The second half!   
I hope you all enjoy the roundoff, let me know what you think! Kudos and comments are always deeply appreciated!

William doesn’t turn around overnight.

The excitement from his first day eventually calms down and the demeanour that Oliver and Thea have come to know over the past three months reappears very soon. The thing is, it comes with some minor, but very promising, changes.

The young boy is vocal, and perhaps could even be called chatty, when spoken to about things he’s passionate about. Those things involve (in no particular order) cake, ice cream, hockey, school, and his new best friend, Ada.

Oliver is astounded by the influence the Smoak girls have had on him and his son. He tries to deny it but he finds himself searching for Felicity in every room he walks into. His day feels bland if he doesn’t see her in the playground at drop off or at the creche when they both finish work. She’s incredibly easy to talk to and he finds himself just wanting to know as much as he can about this remarkable woman and her daughter.

“You two are late today,” Thea comments as she places William back down on the floor after attacking him with affection once they walked through the door.

“Oliver spent a lot of time talking to Ada’s mom before we left.” William snitches on him effortlessly and Oliver sighs as his sister turns to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh really? And what was it that you had to say to Miss Smoak, Ollie?” Thea questions with that all too familiar smirk making Oliver roll his eyes.

“We were just talking Thea. Please don’t get yourself too excited.” He tells him with a reproachful look and Thea huffs.

“You are incredibly dull, big brother.” She tells him and Oliver chuckles.

“I accept that title with pride. Who wants some dinner?” He questions as he moves to the fridge and chuckles once more when both his sister and son shout their affirmations.

“Why would Auntie Thea be excited about you speaking to Ada’s mom?” William asks as he rounds the kitchen island. Oliver freezes for a moment, unsure of what to say.

“Um, well, Auntie Thea just thinks that Felicity and I might enjoy each other’s company.” He finally comes up with but that seems to only make William frown further.

“And you don’t?” He questions and Oliver curses himself.

“Oh no, I do. Very much so.” He affirms and his son looks between Thea and Oliver with a confused look on his face.

“Then I don’t understand.” William states and Oliver looks at his sister in panic. Thea, for her part, looks like she’s enjoying this a little _too _much.

“Auntie Thea’s just being silly, darling. Don’t worry about it.” She finally steps in with a kind smile towards her nephew but it seems that William isn’t entirely convinced.

“I’m still going to get to play with Ada, right?” He asks, looking up at Oliver with wide eyes. The father sighs and bends down in front of his son, giving him his best reassuring smile.

“Hey, of course. I do like Ada’s mom very much. I promise that you will still get to play with Ada.” He tells him in what he comes is a convincing voice. William looks at him for a moment before his frown finally dissipates.

“Okay.” He states with a nod before rounding the island to step up to Thea. “Auntie Thea, could you help me with my reading?”

“Of course I can, sweet boy. Come on, let’s go up at the table so that your dad can make us some food.” Thea guides and Oliver sends his sister an appreciative smile as she leads him away. She may wind him up but Oliver knows that he couldn’t do this without his sister’s help and he’s so grateful for how much of her life she’s dedicating to William in order to help him out. She’s nineteen years old and a business owner but she’s still here whenever Oliver can’t be and he loves her so much for it.

He cooks up a stir fry quickly. He’s glad that William has quite the open palette for a kid his age, it’s clear that Samantha fed him a variety of food. Oliver’s truly appreciative of it because he loves to cook but he’s not entirely sure he’d like having to make their meals blander to suit a milder child’s palette.

“Please remember that I need you to take William to school tomorrow, Thea.” Oliver reminds his sister as they eat and Thea nods, finishing her mouthful before she speaks.

“Oh right of course, your business trip. How long is it again you’re going to be away?” She asks and Oliver frowns, having already gone through this with her numerous times.

“Just two days. Please tell me you’ve already booked the time off.” He asks with a wince but his sister just rolls her eyes with a scoff.

“Of course I have. Roy’s got everything at the club handled but I’m sure if I needed some help, Miss Smoak might offer up her assistance with this little rascal.” Thea grins cheekily, reaching over to ruffle William’s hair which makes the little boy laugh.

“Thea…” Oliver sighs warningly. He would like the time to think about his feelings for Felicity without his sister’s interference, but it appears she’s not going to grant him that.

“Ugh, you are no fun, big brother.” The young girl sighs heavily and Oliver chuckles, rolling his eyes.

“I believe you’ve already called me dull once today, Speedy.” He reminds her teasingly but she just grins.

“There’s no rule against calling you it multiple times, Ollie.”

“Are you going to say goodbye before you go?” William asks suddenly, having been quiet for most of the meal. Oliver looks over at him and his heart breaks at the look on his face. He knows that the poor boy is terrified of losing anyone else and Oliver really does not want to leave but he’s been putting this trip off for months and the board finally put their foot down.

“Of course I am. I’ll do it tonight before you go to bed because I have to leave very early in the morning.” He tells with a reassuring smile and William looks a little dubious but he nods his head.

He stays quiet for the rest of the evening, reading a little more with Thea after dinner until Oliver tells him that it’s time to get ready for bed.

“You be good for Auntie Thea, okay? I’ll be back before you know it and I want to hear about everything you get up to. I’m going to miss you very much.” Oliver tells him as he tucks him in and William goes quiet for a moment before he smiles shyly.

“I’ll miss you too.” He tells him and Oliver forces himself not to get choked up. It’s insanely difficult. These small moments between them are becoming more and more common as William’s settled in more but they still catch Oliver off guard every time. Each time William reaches for his hand or cuddles up next to him on the catch, Oliver finds himself blinking back tears as his heart glows with affection for his son.

“Don’t let Auntie Thea feed you only ice cream.” He teases to cover up and William grins with a small, extremely adorable giggle. Oliver was never the type to find kids cute but he has to admit that his son is very adorable.

“I won’t. I like broccoli.” William tells him affirmatively and Oliver chuckles.

“I’m glad to hear it.” He tells him with a nod of his head as he finishes tucking the sheet around the little boy. He settles next to him on the bed and brushes some of his hair off his face. “Alright, are you comfy?”

“Uh-huh.” William nods with a small smile and Oliver smiles too, continuing to stroke his hair when the small boy doesn’t pull away from the affection.

“Excellent. Sleep tight, buddy, and I’ll see you when I get home, alright?”

“Alright.”

“I love you.” “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Dad.”

Oliver freezes in the doorway.

_Dad. _

He… he…

Oh my god.

He manages to shut the door and stumble down the stairs to the couch before he fully breaks down, sinking into the pillows as a sob rises through his throat.

He’s William’s _Dad. _

Holy…

“Ollie? Are you alright? What happened?” Thea’s soft voice asks as she appears next to him but Oliver can hardly see her through the blurred vision of his tears.

“He… he… he called me Dad.” He finally manages to stutter out and the loud gasp from Thea is the best sum-up of his own emotions right now.

“Oh Ollie, that’s so wonderful. I’m so happy for you!” Thea grins as her arms fly around him and Oliver holds tight to her but glances back towards the stairs.

“Shh, I don’t want to make a fuss about it.” He tells her, not wanting William to get freaked out if he can hear them.

“Alright, alright, but it is a big deal.” Thea grins as she settles down. She cuddles into his side and Oliver smiles as he wraps an arm around her, still a little dazed.

“Yeah.” He grins. He knows that it’s just a word, that he shouldn’t be hanging so much on it but to _finally _hear it from his son’s lips means more than Oliver thinks he’ll ever know how to say. He hadn’t been pinning any hopes on it. He knew that William may never call him that and that was fine by him but now that he’s said him, Oliver just wants to hear him say it a million times over. “Do you think I should cancel the trip?”

“What happened to not making a fuss?” Thea laughs and Oliver frowns, shaking his head.

“You’re right. I just…” He starts but trails off, truly not having the words. Thea seems to understand as she stretches to softly kiss his cheek.

“I know. I’m so happy, Oliver. He’s such a sweet boy and you’re doing an amazing job with him.” She tells him softly and Oliver sighs, shaking his head.

“We are, Speedy. I couldn’t do this without you.” He affirms, dropping a kiss to her forehead and Thea grins up at him.

“Anything for either of you. You know that.” She tells him determinedly and Oliver nods with a smile.

“I love you.”

“I love you too. Now, go and get some sleep, _Dad. _I’ll be up to see you off in the morning.” His sister tells him, pulling back as she gestures to the stairs.

“Thea…” Oliver starts, not wanting her to go to such trouble. He’s going to be leaving _ridiculously _early and he doesn’t want to put Thea out.

“Nope. I’ll hear none of it and even if I do, I’ll be up so there’s no point in wasting your breath.” She tells him with the familiar fire and she finishes it all with a cheeky smile which makes Oliver shake his head.

“You are relentless, Speedy.” He tells her as he kisses her cheek once again.

“And that’s why you love me.” She nods and Oliver chuckles, shaking his head.

“Goodnight.” He tells her and he stands and Thea smiles at him, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch as she turns to face the TV.

“Night Ollie.”

Oliver breathes deeply as he makes his way up the stairs. He truly cannot believe how lucky he is to have a sister so wonderful and a son so incredible. He pushes back the thought that rises in him about calling Felicity to tell her, thinking it far too soon. The two of them only exchanged phone numbers a few days ago, knowing that they would probably need them at some point down the line with how close William and Ada are getting, and it feels a little soon for a late-night phone call about a parenting development.

He looks in on William one last time to see him sleeping peacefully and he cannot stop the smile that spreads across his face. It’s like a piece of his own heart is walking around in William and as their connection grows, they’re pulling back towards each other.

It’s the most incredible feeling in the world and Oliver cannot thank his lucky stars enough that he gets to be the father of such a wonderful little boy.

* * *

“Did you know that there are more kangaroos than humans in Australia?”

Felicity shudders as helps Ada out of her car seat. She has no idea where her daughter’s fascination with kangaroos comes from. She relented to the stuffed animal that is her daughter’s favorite but now that Ada’s old enough to find facts out and relay them, it’s really only worsening Felicity’s own fear of the animals.

“And that is why we are never going on vacation there,” Felicity states decisively as she reaches back in for Ada’s lunch bag before locking the car and taking her daughter’s hand.

“Can we go to the zoo soon? I want to see them again.” Ada questions as they walk towards the gate, the younger of the two of them more skipping than walking.

“Next time Savta comes to visit,” Felicity promises. She lets her mother take Ada to see the kangaroos at the zoo because she doesn’t want Ada to miss out but honestly, that’s something she can’t bring herself to do. Not even for her baby girl.

“Savta said I should help you find a ‘nice young man’ on the phone last night.” Ada comments and Felicity would have frozen if stuff like this wasn’t par for the course with her mother. She should have known really, that when she had a child, her mother would just manipulate them into her lifelong task of curing Felicity’s perpetual single status.

“Did she?” Felicity hums with a roll of her eyes.

“Uh-huh. She said that it would make you happy. Would it make you happy, Mama?” Ada asks, looking up at her inquisitively and Felicity sighs before she smiles down at her little girl.

“I think I need to have a conversation with Savta about what is an appropriate conversation to have with a six-year-old.” She tells her instead of an answer and Ada frowns before she speaks again.

“She was only being silly, Mama.” She assures her and Felicity chuckles as they walk onto the playground.

“I know, baby but you make me more than happy enough.” Felicity smiles but Ada’s attention is already distracted as she searches for her friends.

“Oh look, there’s Will! That’s not his daddy.” She points out, gesturing towards the door of the school where indeed William stands with a young girl. He’s holding her hand and is speaking to her with a small smile on her face. Oliver told her yesterday when they ran into each other at QC’s creche that he was headed away on a business trip over the next couple of days and that he was extremely worried about leaving William overnight with just his sister for the first time.

She supposes that the girl with William is said sister.

“No, his daddy’s away for a few days,” Felicity explains as they head over and Ada frowns.

“Oh.” She states and Felicity is about to ask what’s confusing her but the little girl seems to already be over it as she lets go of Felicity’s hand and darts the last few metres to her friend. “Hi Will!”

“Hi, Ada!” William grins as he turns towards her and Felicity chuckles as they wrap each other up in a hug practically instantly.

“You must be the young Miss Smoak I have heard so much about. My name’s Thea, I’m William’s aunt.” The girl, Thea, bends down in front of Ada once the two children pull away from each other.

“Oh cool. Mama, why don’t I have any aunts?” Ada asks as Felicity finally catches up to them and the mother chuckles, running her hand over Ada’s hair with a warm smile.

“Because I don’t have any sisters. Hi, you must be Thea, I’m Felicity.” She explains simply before turning to offer her hand to the young girl. Thea lights up as she shakes her hand, her smile taking up practically her entire face.

“Oh I know, Ollie’s told me a lot about you. In fact, it seems like neither he nor William can be quiet about a Smoak girl.” She states and Felicity freezes, a blush coming over her face. To know that Oliver has been talking about her to his sister reinvokes those fluttering feelings in her stomach again and Felicity has to force herself to stop acting like a teenager.

“Oh well… I hope all good things.” She covers quickly but Thea has a strange sparkle in her eye as she continues to grin at her.

“Oh definitely.” The young girl confirms and Felicity thinks she might be the shade of a tomato by now.

“Mama, we’re going in,” Ada announces and Felicity is grateful for the distraction as she bends down in front of her daughter.

“Okay, have a wonderful day, baby, and I’ll see you later.” She tells her with a chuckle as Ada throws herself into her arms.

“I will! I love you, Mama!” She grins, pecking Felicity’s cheek before she pulls back.

“Love you too, baby!” Felicity answers with equally as big of a grin. She stands as she watches Ada wait for William to say goodbye to Thea before the two of them rush into the school building.

“She seems very sweet,” Thea comments as Felicity turns to her with a smile and the blonde chuckles, shaking her head.

“So everyone tells me. You should see her when I try to feed her anything green.” She comments and Thea laughs.

“I was thinking… the kids get on so well, we should organise a play date or something. Are you free at the weekend?” She asks and Felicity frowns as she thinks.

“Oh, I think so. I’d have to double-check.” She tells the young girl. It’s a lovely idea, seeing as the two of them do seem to really enjoy each other’s company. The idea of spending time with Oliver outside of their routine of drop off and pick up is both exciting and daunting at the same time.

She feels like a teenager all over again.

“Of course. They’ve just opened a park down from our building that I think the kids will love. Maybe we could take a picnic? Enjoy the last of the sun before it gets too cold?” Thea suggests and Felicity smiles at the thought. It’s a little odd, that Thea is the one suggesting it, but she supposes that the young girl does live with Oliver and his son.

Speaking of…

“That sounds lovely. But your building? I don’t mean to impose but I thought you all lived at the Queen mansion.” Felicity questions with a frown. She knows she’s hit a nerve when Thea looks shocked for a moment before she schools her expression.

“Oh no, Ollie and I moved when we found out about William. It’s a bit of a long story.” The young girl tells her with a shy smile. Even though Felicity has only just met Thea, she can tell that such an expression is uncharacteristic.

“Then I won’t pry. Apologies.” She tells her with a small smile and that brightens Thea up once more.

“Don’t be silly. I’ll tell Ollie about the weekend and leave the two of you to plan it. I just know that the kids will have the best time.” She bats her off and Felicity nods with a smile.

“Alright, thank you. It was lovely to meet you but I really must go. I need to get to work.” She winces as she looks up at the clock on the school façade and Thea shakes her head with a smile.

“Of course, no worries. It’s so nice to finally put a face to the name.” Thea tells her and Felicity blushes again at the reminder of Oliver’s apparent chattiness about her to his sister.

She truly needs to stop overthinking this all.

* * *

Felicity sees Thea again at drop off the next day but she’s in a rush to get to work so she doesn’t stop to say hello.

She’s grateful when her day comes to an end and she can head to the creche to pick up Ada so that they can go home.

As she approaches, however, she can see that there’s quite the commotion in the doorway and she frowns as she walks up to see Charlotte looking completely overwhelmed as she argues with a regal looking, older woman who Felicity recognises from somewhere.

“Mrs Queen, you are not on the pick-up list.” The creche worker states and Felicity’s eyes widen as she realises that this is Oliver’s mother and William’s grandmother. Oliver’s never said anything about her and when Felicity mentioned that she was grateful to her for having set up such a wonderful scheme at QC for workers with children, she remembers being surprised at how he had danced around the topic.

“This is ridiculous. My daughter cannot make it.” The elegant woman scoffs and Charlotte sighs heavily.

“And yet you have shown me no confirmation that Mr. Queen is happy for you to collect William. I cannot let a child go to anyone without written or verbal parental consent.” Charlotte explains and Felicity can tell by the tone of her voice that she’s expressed this rule to Moira Queen numerous times since she arrived.

“Afternoon Charlotte.” Felicity cuts in to give the poor girl a break which makes the stern woman spin to look at her. She takes her in with a distasteful look but Felicity pays her no mind.

“Oh, Felicity! Hi! Ada’s just over there.” Charlotte smiles tensely, gesturing around the corner to where Felicity knows the bean bags are laid out. The poor girl looks incredibly stressed out and Felicity frowns as she looks between the creche worker and the put-together woman who is now pursing her lips as if the two-second interlude is a terrible inconvenience.

“Thank you. Is there a problem here?” She questions and the woman jolts, looking towards her once more. It’s clear that she’s not overly impressed by Felicity but the blonde simply ignores her.

“Not that’s any of your concern.” She snarls and Felicity is taken aback for a moment.

“Apologies, I was only offering to help if I could.” She states before she gives Charlotte a comforting smile and heads around the corner. Ada is not alone, William is sat with her, and whilst her daughter seems engrossed in the book they’re sharing, William is glancing towards the door with an expression that can only be described as fear. “Hello, you two.”

“Hi, Mama!” Ada grins and Felicity smiles, brushing her daughter’s fly away hairs back from her forehead.

“Hey, baby. Ada, can you go get your bag for me?” She questions, watching as William flicks his attention between her and the corner of the door. He obviously can’t see anything but it’s clear that he knows the voice. 

“Uh-huh.” Ada nods and rushes off, allowing Felicity to sink down onto the floor. She places a hand on William’s shoulder gently and he finally lands his gaze fully on her.

“Hi, buddy.” She tells him with a small smile that he doesn’t reciprocate. It’s as if he’s remembering something, from the look on his face, and Felicity wonders whether this has something to do with what Thea told her yesterday morning about the three of them no longer living in the mansion with the woman at the door.

“Hi, Felicity.” He tells her quietly and Felicity hasn’t heard her daughter’s friend speak in such a quiet voice since the children’s first day at school almost two months ago now.

“Are you alright?” She asks calmly and William looks at her with wide eyes.

“I’m not supposed to talk to that lady.” He tells her quietly and Felicity freezes. It seems like there’s some bad blood between the Queen children and their mother and Moira Queen has capitalised on her son being away and her daughter being indisposed.

“I see.” She states quietly. William doesn’t speak for a minute and Felicity is just thinking she might need to prompt him with a question when he opens his mouth once more.

“Auntie Thea called earlier. She’s stuck at work so I’m supposed to wait until she’s finished.” He explains and Felicity nods, grateful for more information on the situation. How Moira found out about her daughter’s absence, she doesn’t know but Felicity supposes that she certainly seems like the sort of woman who just happens to know things like that.

“So, you’re definitely not supposed to go home with her then?” She asks and William looks at her with wide eyes as he shakes his head.

“Nope. Dad says that she’s my grandmother but that she kept a big secret from him so they don’t talk anymore. She said some not very nice things about…” The young boy starts but he trails off. Felicity can see that he’s getting emotional and she doesn’t want to upset him but she can’t help if she’s not in possession of all the information. William’s use of ‘dad’ doesn’t slip her notice and she saves that at the back of her mind for later.

“About what, sweetheart?” She asks softly and William swallows heavily as tears spring to his eyes.

“About my mommy. And me.” He tells her as a sob wracks through him and Felicity instantly feels terrible for pushing as the little boy breaks down in front of her.

“Oh darling, it’s okay. Would you like a hug?” She offers gently and William is in her arms before she’s even finished the question. Rising to her feet with him in her arms, she bounces him gently as she tries to calm him. “I’m sorry if I upset you.”

“I don’t want to go home with her.” William sobs into her neck and his cries alert the attention of both Charlotte and Moira, as well as the others in the creche. Felicity sends the creche worker her best reassuring smile as she shushes William and runs a hand over his hair but she feels no sympathy for Moira Queen who she’s certain deserves to see the pain she’s brought the young boy.

“And you won’t. I promise.” She whispers back to him, knowing that she will do everything in her power to make sure that doesn’t happen. It’s clear that William is against the idea and from his words, coupled with what Thea hinted at yesterday, Felicity’s growing pretty sure that it’s not what Oliver would want either.

“Mama? Will? Are you upset?” Ada asks as she appears back at their side and her little brow furrows as she looks up at her friend in her mother’s arms.

“It’s alright, baby, don’t worry.” Felicity smiles reassuringly and she sighs in relief as Ada waits patiently. She turns her attention back to William and it takes a few minutes but he finally calms down enough that his grip on her loosens from the vice it was. She places him down on the floor and bends down to his height, smiling warmly as he looks at her with those sad eyes that break her heart. She knows what she needs to do. “Tell you what, can you and Ada get your things together? I’m going to give your dad a call.”

“Okay.” William nods quietly and Felicity watches until they’re over by the coats and bags before she pulls her phone out her bag and calls her most recently added contact.

“Hello?” His voice sounds down the line and Felicity takes a deep breath.

“Oliver, it’s Felicity.” She confirms, even though he’s probably already aware because, duh… caller ID is a thing.

“Hi, is everything okay?” He asks, obviously confused as to why she’s calling him and Felicity winces as the reality of what she’s got to tell him sinks in.

“Not really. I’m at the creche and well, your mother’s here trying to pick William up.” She tells him with a wince and she hears him hiss.

“What?!” He asks, the anger evident in his voice and Felicity bites her bottom lip as she walks around the corner again to avoid the glares that Moria Queen is currently sending her.

Lord, what a terrifying woman.

“The staff know not to let her but she’s being insistent. Thea’s caught up at work and I don’t really want to leave him here if she’s going to keep arguing with Charlotte about it. Would you mind if I took him back to mine and Thea collected him from there?” She asks with a wince, knowing that she might be overstepping but the thought of leaving William here is unthinkable to her. She hears Oliver heave a sigh of what she thinks is relief on the other end of the phone.

“Not at all. Thank you so much, Felicity. You’re truly a godsend. Is he upset?” Oliver tells her and there’s trepidation in his question. She briefly considers lying but she knows if it were Ada that she’d want to know.

“A little.” She states with a wince and she hears him sigh heavily. She hasn’t known him very long but she already guesses that he’s running a hand over the crease in his forehead as he tends to when he’s stressed.

“I knew it was too soon for this goddamn trip. I’ll be on the plane as soon as this meeting’s done.” He tells her and Felicity winces once more, having forgotten the reason he was out of town in the first place was work.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt your work.” She tells him apologetically but he just scoffs.

“Don’t be silly. I’m so glad that you did. You’re doing me a huge favour.” He assures her and she takes a deep breath to calm herself, as well as prepare herself to step back in the line of Moira Queen’s death stare.

“We’ve got to look out for each other. Give me one second to explain and then I’ll hand you over to Charlotte, if that’s alright?” She asks, biting on her lip once more as she waits for her answer.

“Of course. Thank you so much again.” He tells her and she can hear the deep gratitude in his voice.

“Now who’s being silly.” She tells him reproachfully before she rounds the corner and places her best polite smile on her face. “I’m sorry to interrupt your… grrr… but I’ve got Mr. Queen here on the phone. He thinks it might be best if I take William back to mine and Thea collect him from there.”

“And who are you?” Moira Queen asks her distastefully but Felicity just keeps her smile on her face.

“Felicity Smoak. I’m the mother of one of William’s friends.” She explains calmly and Moira scoffs.

“I see and that suddenly gives you more of a right to look after my grandchild than me?” She questions, obviously assuming that Felicity knows nothing or is just an idiot.

“From what I understand, Mrs Queen, you don’t have any contact with your grandchild so I wouldn’t be the one to judge. Charlotte, Mr Queen is happy to confirm this on the phone.” She states calmly before she hands her phone over to the creche assistant.

“Thank you,” Charlotte tells her with a grateful look before stepping a few feet away to speak to Oliver.

“You can’t just waltz out of here with someone else’s child.” Moira frowns, obviously growing agitated as whatever her plan was falls apart.

“Your son is giving his permission as we speak, Mrs Queen.” Felicity reminds her and Moira looks as if she’s going to speak again but they’re both distracted by William and Ada appearing next to her. The young boy looks frightened but Ada is glaring full force at Moira, carrying off scary rather well for an adorable six-year-old.

“Felicity?” William asks her in that same quiet voice and Felicity smiles at him, before she scoops him back into her arms.

“It’s alright, sweetheart, come here. We’ll wait over here for your dad to finish speaking to Charlotte.” She tells him gently and walks a few paces away. William buries his head in her shoulder and she lets him so that he doesn’t have to look at the woman who’s obviously hurt him before. She turns to look at Ada to find her daughter still glaring. She thinks if she left her, she might actually start growling and as entertaining as that might be, she doesn’t want to give Moira any reason not to let them leave. “Ada, you too please.”

“Mrs Queen, your son would like to speak to you.” Charlotte comments, holding out the phone as Ada moves over to stand next to them and take Felicity’s free hand.

The older woman takes the phone and holds it to her ear.

“Oliver, you can’t…” She begins but from the look of shock that covers her face, it’s clear that Oliver has interrupted her. “Well, I say!” Felicity cannot hear Oliver’s words but his voice is clearly loud and his tone does not indicate that he’s happy to be having such a conversation. “No, I shall not…” She starts again but it’s clear that she’s interrupted once more. Finally, her shoulders slump before she pulls herself together, sticking her nose back up in the air. “Fine, but you should think about the sort of folk you’re allowing your son to cavort with.” She comments before hanging up the phone and placing it back on the desk. She looks Felicity up and down with one last distasteful look before she spins on her heel. “Good day, Miss Smoak.”

“My, she’s certainly a piece of work.” Charlotte huffs in relief once she’s finally out of sight and Felicity chuckles, nodding her head in agreement. “Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Felicity smiles warmly at the creche worker. William has loosened a little in her hold but his head is still buried in her neck and she bounces him to try and lift his spirits a little. Charlotte slips her phone back in her bag for her and Felicity thanks her before she heads down towards her car. “Come on. Let’s get home. I think we’ve got just enough pasta for three.”

“Pasta? Yum!” Ada announces and William finally lifts his head, although he clings tightly to Felicity until they reach her car.

* * *

It’s a few hours later and Felicity has the two kids settled in Ada’s room when a knock on the door calls her attention. She stands from the couch and opens it to reveal Oliver who looks exceedingly frantic as he steps over the threshold.

“I am so sorry about all of this.” He immediately apologies but Felicity shakes her head.

“Don’t be silly. It was a freak circumstance.” She reminds him with a smile before gesturing to the couch.

“I told Thea to double-check that she wouldn’t be needed at work.” He tells her and Felicity shakes her head. She lays no blame with the teenager, she knows what it’s like to have to go into work without having childcare arranged. When she spoke to Thea earlier, the poor girl had been overly apologetic and Felicity could tell that she truly was sorry.

“She called me earlier after you passed the number on. She said that two of their bartenders are ill. She had no other choice.” Felicity reminds him but Oliver merely sighs, sinking back into her couch.

She briefly thinks that he looks good here. He’s never been to her apartment before but, just like William earlier, she feels like he fits just perfectly.

“It’s days like this when I feel like the worst father in the world.” He sighs with his eyes closed and Felicity shakes her head, rounding the coffee table to sit down next to him.

“Hey, you most certainly are not. If you were, you would have let your mother take him. Lovely woman, by the way.” She comments with her teeth gritted and Oliver huffs.

“Ugh, don’t.” He groans and Felicity waits for a moment, allowing the silence to surround them. She can tell that Oliver’s about to talk, it’s palpable, so she refrains from filling the silence as she normally would. “She knew about William.”

“Excuse me?” Whatever she was expected Oliver to say, it certainly wasn’t that.

“Yeah. I knew that Samantha was pregnant and I told her. I was so scared, I was only nineteen at the time. Not really an excuse to you I suppose.” He explains before he pauses, glancing over at her but Felicity shakes her head with a small smile. She’s grateful to him for giving her an explanation and she doesn’t want him to think that she’s judging him because she truly isn’t.

“Don’t be ridiculous. If you think I wasn’t scared when I saw those pregnancy tests, you’ve got another think coming.” She assures him and he nods, a small smile playing at his lips before his expression grows serious once more.

“I thought she was just giving me advice, a shoulder to lean on. When Samantha called a week later to tell me that she’d lost the baby, I thought all my prayers had been answered, as terrible as that sounds. I just… I wasn’t ready to be a father yet.” He tells her, staring ahead of him as if he can’t look at her. She knows that he thinks she’ll judge him for that but she can’t bring herself to. He was a kid, scared and afraid. She knows because she was in the exact same position.

“But she didn’t lose the baby,” Felicity states rather obviously and Oliver nods, swallowing thickly before he speaks again.

“No. My mother, she paid her off. A million dollars to tell me she’d miscarried and another million to move to Central City and never speak to me again. The second cheque went uncashed but the first one was used to set them up and the remainder is in a trust fund for William’s college.” Oliver answers her unasked question and Felicity takes a deep breath as she tries to process what she’s just been told. She can’t judge Samantha. She thinks she most likely would have done the same thing. A woman offering her a lump of money is an indication of the type of family the Queens were and if Samantha didn’t know Oliver very well, it’s doubtful she would have thought him much different to his mother. That much money can change a child’s life and she was obviously very smart with how she spent it.

“That… wow. I honestly don’t know what to say.” She finally speaks and Oliver finally looks over at her, giving her a dry smile with a nod.

“When I found out that she had known this entire time, I couldn’t face it. She grovelled and begged my forgiveness but when we brought William home, she was cold and just completely the opposite of what he needed. When I confronted her about it, she told me that he was ruining my life and that I never needed this pressure. I just couldn’t believe that she could look at a child as wonderful as William and think that. To think that such a miracle would ruin me… I found our new apartment the next day and Thea moved with us.” Oliver finishes explaining and Felicity frowns. She’s hasn’t known Oliver and his son very long, a few months, but she knew within seconds of meeting William that he was obviously a very special little boy. To think that anyone could view him as a distraction… it’s awful.

“If she thinks he’s such a burden, why did she want to pick him up today?” Felicity asks, speaking aloud more than anything as she processes the information, but Oliver shakes his head with a long sigh and a shrug.

“I have no idea. I think perhaps she’s realised that being a part of my life means having William around but that is certainly not the way to go about it.” He tells her and Felicity scrunches her nose. She supposes it makes sense, but the method leaves a lot to be desired.

“No, not at all.”

“Was he badly upset?” Oliver asks, looking up at with a very similar expression to the one of William’s earlier that had tugged on her heartstrings.

“He cried a little there and when we got back but he calmed quickly both times.” She tells him truthfully with a small, sad smile and Oliver takes a deep breath before looking at her with an expression in his eyes that makes Felicity’s stomach flutter again.

Pesky thing.

“I cannot thank you enough.” He tells her and she shakes her head with a smile.

“What are friends for?” The words leave her mouth before she thinks then and she freezes, her eyes widening as she processes them. She only met this man a few months ago and she speaks to him daily but she wouldn’t go as far as to call them friends. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep.”

“Felicity?” Oliver asks and she prays that it is laughter she hears in his voice.

“Yes?” She winces but freezes as Oliver’s hand lands on top of her own. His skin is warm and it takes everything in her not to turn her own hand around so that she could feel what it’s like to hold his coarse hand in her smooth one.

“I would like very much to call you my friend.” He tells her, his voice smooth and Felicity drinks it in, a smile of her own crossing her face.

“I would like that too. What are you going to do about your mother?” She questions with a wince at the fact that she’s bringing up a difficult subject again but she knows they need to finish the conversation off. Oliver sighs but Felicity is grateful when he doesn’t move his hand away.

“I don’t know. Reaffirm to her that she is not welcome in William’s life and if she continues to behave in such a way, I will have to take legal action to prevent her from trying to force her way in.” He tells her with a long sigh and Felicity guesses they’re a form of the words he told her earlier on the phone. It’s not a bad plan at all and she thinks it may actually work, if the way Moira reacted earlier was any indication.

“I am so sorry that your family has been through this. None of you deserve this. Thea seems delightful, William is the most wonderful little boy, and…” Felicity smiles, trailing off before she says something she’ll regret. She’s grateful for her brain to mouth filter working for once.

“And?” Oliver asks and the hopeful expression on his face gives Felicity the courage she needs to turn her hand and loop her fingers through his. He looks down at their entwined hands and up at her again with a surprised look on his face. She smiles gently at him and squeezes his hand, inching ever so closer to him on the couch.

“And you are an incredibly caring man, Oliver Queen, who is quickly becoming one of the most amazing parents I have ever met.” She tells him truthfully, fighting the urge to look away and blush. She locks her eyes on his, smiling at him and his face melts, a smile of his own pulling at his lips.

“You don’t mean that.” He tells her but he’s still smiling.

“Oh but I do.” Felicity grins and there’s something in the air between them. It’s palpable, almost as if they could just lean in and…

Yup, _that’s _the sound of two sets of six-year-old feet on wood floors.

“Mama, can we have a…?” Ada’s voice trails off as the sound of little feet down the corridor come to a stop. She takes in the sight of the two of them on the couch before she shrugs and turns towards William. The small boy is staring at his father as if he’s a ghost and Felicity feels her heart swell as an excited expression grows on his face.

“Hi, buddy.” Oliver greets and that seems to be the confirmation that William needs because he is across the room in seconds, practically jumping into Oliver’s lap.

“Daddy!” He calls as he wraps his arms around him and Felicity has to turn herself away as she barely contains the tears that rise in her eyes at the sight of William’s happiness to see his father. After learning more of what these two have been through… it’s such a beautiful thing to be witness to the bond growing between them.

Felicity is barely holding it together so she’s unsure how Oliver is.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there, sweetheart. I should have been. I promise, no more business trips for a long time.” Oliver sighs, speaking into William’s shoulder as the little boy clings to him. Felicity startles at his words. She knows never to make promises you can’t keep but it seems like Oliver’s actually pretty determined to keep this one. That’s if the conviction in his tone is anything to go by.

“It’s okay, I was a little scared but then Felicity got there.” William answers and wow, if Felicity wasn’t crying before.

“You okay, Mama?” Ada asks as she approaches to climb onto her lap and Felicity smiles, hugging her girl close.

“Yeah, baby.” She whispers in response, grateful that Ada seems to read the room and is happy to cuddle up to her for a moment whilst Oliver and William have their own moment. She holds tight to her daughter, thinking about how scary today must have been from Oliver’s perspective. The idea of someone she doesn’t want near Ada just showing up and trying to take her home is horrifying.

There’s something about these boys, they just seem to fit in her and Ada’s lives and it’s not that Felicity wants to call anything too soon, but she thinks she might actually want to see where this might go.

* * *

It’s a few days later and Felicity is glad that everything seems to have calmed down a bit. She’s really looking forward to the picnic that she has planned with Oliver and the kids at the weekend but for now, she’s very happy to be speaking to her mom on video call.

“Is Ada enjoying her new school? She seemed enthusiastic when I asked her.” Donna asks as Felicity fully sinks into the couch. Ada just spent about twenty minutes on the phone with Donna herself and is now playing at the dinner table a few feet away.

“She’s loving it and I think she might have made a new best friend already,” Felicity comments with a small smile as she thinks of how deep William and Ada’s friendship seems to run already, even after only a few months of knowing each other.

“They’re so cute at that age which their little friendships. You had a friend when you were about Ada’s age, Lucy I think her name was, and she was all you could talk about.” Donna grins and Felicity chuckles, nodding her head.

“Oh, I remember Lucy, she’s married to a basketball player now.” She muses and then freezes, knowing that was probably the wrong thing to say to her mother.

“Is she really? Goodness, he must be tall!” The older blonde grins, winking exaggeratedly at her over the phone call and Felicity sighs.

“Mom.” She states dryly but her mother merely laughs, shaking her head.

“How about you? Anyone in your life?” She questions in a sing-song voice and Felicity sighs before she shakes her head.

“Nope. Honestly, I think my six-year-old has more of a social life than me.” She muses with a snort. It’s honestly true, she certainly spends more of her life taking Ada from one friend’s house to another.

“What about the parents at the school? Any rich, hot single dads?” Donna presses, wiggling her eyebrows in an entirely unsubtle way. Felicity sighs out a laugh before she bites her lip.

“If I tell you this, you have to promise to keep your mouth shut.” She forewarns and her mother immediately perks up.

“Ooo! There is! How hot? How rich? Definitely single?”

“Mom! This is serious! You can’t go around blurting this out to anyone, okay?” Felicity insists, shaking her head at the pure exuberance she can see in her mother on her screen.

“Okay, okay, I can keep a secret,” Donna tells her and Felicity takes a deep breath.

“Ada’s new friend is Oliver Queen’s son.” She tells her mother and Donna’s eyebrows immediately fly up towards her hairline.

“Oliver Queen as in rich, hot, single, CEO of the company you work for, Oliver Queen?” She questions, her voice rising a pitch with every word and Felicity knows that she’s about to literally explode.

“Yes,” Felicity confirms and holds her phone away in preparation. Ada looks over at her in surprise as Donna lets out a scream that could honestly shatter an entire cathedral’s worth of glass and Felicity winces, rubbing her ear. “Yup, didn’t need to hear anything past this moment.”

“Oh, baby!” Donna grins, bouncing in her seat and Felicity shakes her head.

“There’s nothing actually happening between us.” She explains properly and she’s grateful as her mother finally calms down.

“But you think there might be?” She questions, her shoulders practically by her ears as she grins. Felicity ignores her excitement as she thinks for a moment.

“Maybe? I don’t know. It’s all so much more complicated with kids involved.” She says quietly, keeping her voice low so that Ada doesn’t hear her.

“Isn’t it easier, knowing that he’s also a parent?” Her mother questions and Felicity sighs.

“Yes and no. I mean, he understands it but then there’s also double the kids who could get hurt and… I don’t know, Mom.” She trails off with a shrug but she should know by now that her mother is her mother.

“Do you like him?” Donna questions, very matter of factly and Felicity cannot stop the smile that spreads across her face.

“He’s wonderful. In a million different ways.” She states, blinking as she realises how dreamy her voice sounds. Her mother awws loudly before she puts a more serious expression back on her face.

“And you think he likes you?” She questions and Felicity bites her lip, thinking of Thea’s words and the moment on the couch the other day.

“I think so?”

“Then don’t let anything hold you back. Take it slow for the kids’ sake, but you’ve done nothing but go to work and take care of Ada for six years, baby. You deserve a little fun.” Her mother tells her and Felicity smiles as she takes a deep breath. Maybe her mother’s right, maybe she should just throw caution to the wind for once and step over the edge.

“You think?”

“I know.”

“Alright, I love you Mom,” Felicity tells her with a smile and Donna grins too.

“I love you too, baby.”

“Ada, come say goodbye to Savta.” The younger blonde calls across the room and Ada grins, rushing over and climbing into Felicity’s lap so that she can see the screen.

“Bye-bye Savta, I love you lots and lots and I can’t wait to see you soon!” The little girl smiles, blowing kisses at the screen and Felicity chuckles, wrapping an arm around her waist so that she doesn’t wriggle off.

“Oh my darling angel, I can’t wait to see you either. Make sure you and your Mama give each other lots of kisses from me, alright?” Donna tells her and Felicity grins as Ada immediately spins to smack a kiss against her lips.

“There’s one!” The little girl declares and both Felicity and Donna chuckle at her antics.

“I love you both so much. Bye-bye, my girls.” Donna calls and Felicity and Ada both wave.

“Bye Mom.”

“Bye Savta!”

* * *

“Why did I let you talk me into this?” Oliver questions his sister late on Saturday morning as he loads the food he’s prepared into a basket.

“Because the two of you were crushing on each other hard and needed a push in the right direction?” Thea answers with a smirk as she loads her own things into her bag. Oliver’s fully aware of her plan to bail which he should have seen coming really.

“This is a playdate, Thea, not a date.” He reminds her but the teenager just shrugs.

“Got the word date in it.” She tells him cheekily and Oliver moves to retaliate but is interrupted by a knock on the door. “Must be them.”

“William!” Oliver calls up the stairs as he brushes off his hands and moves towards the door.

“Coming Dad!” He calls and Oliver’s heart jumps still at the word. William still calls him Oliver now and again but most of the time, he’s Dad now and he loves it.

He moves over to the door and pushes in the code to unlock it, pulling it open to reveal Ada and Felicity stood there, both with wide smiles on their faces. Ada is dressed in a Wonder Woman t-shirt and jeans, perfect for the park, and Oliver thinks the same thing as he takes in Felicity’s outfit. She looks beautiful in her red sundress and denim jacket, a bag slung over her shoulder and her hands resting on Ada’s shoulders. Her blonde hair is down around her head, rather than the usual ponytail she wears for work and the sight makes Oliver smile.

“Sorry, we’re early. Someone was a little excited.” Felicity smiles sheepishly, one of her hands moving on the top of Ada’s braided hair and Oliver chuckles as the little girl practically thrums with all the excitement she’s clearly holding in.

“You’re fine, come on in.” Oliver smiles and moves to the side to allow them to enter the apartment. Ada moves quickly with a skip to her step and Oliver chuckles at the way her eyes widen as she takes in the apartment.

William finally comes downstairs dressed in jeans and a superhero t-shirt of his own, although his is Spiderman.

“Hi, Ada! Hi Felicity.” He greets, waving at Felicity as he moves to hug Ada. Oliver finds it funny, how the two children hug each time they greet each other but it’s also exceptionally sweet.

“Hi Will! Wow, your house is really nice.” Ada comments and Oliver purses his lips to hold in a laugh at how grown up the conversation sounds.

“You’ve got quite the little hostess on your hands.” He whispers, bending down towards Felicity’s ear and she chuckles, nodding her head.

“Just wait until you see her curtsey.” She whispers back, making Oliver chuckle. He looks over at his sister to see her watching them with a far too smug look on her face.

“Felicity, it’s nice to see you again.” Thea greets as she walks over, extending her hand and Felicity smiles, shaking it happily.

“You too. Thank you for suggesting this. It’s all Ada could talk about all week.” The blonde chuckles, brushing her hair back from her face and Oliver forces himself not to concentrate on the way it falls elegantly down over her shoulders.

“Of course. Ollie always says I’m the proactive one. Speaking of, I’m terribly sorry but I’m actually going to have to call a raincheck. Our suppliers messed up an order at the club and my boyfriend doesn’t want to complain until I’ve looked over it to double-check exactly what’s wrong. It’s one of our biggest nights of the year and it looks like we might not have enough booze.” Thea sighs heavily, covering excellently. Oliver sometimes worries, how adept his little sister is at lying but she seems to be using her powers for good. For now.

“Oh! Of course! I hope you get it all sorted out.” Felicity comments with a caring smile and Thea smiles too, laying a hand on her shoulder before she heads to the door.

“Thank you so much, we’ll have to do this again sometime.” The teenager grins before she leaves, shutting the door behind her.

“So it’s just us?” Felicity questions and Oliver’s stomach flips as she smiles up at him.

God, she’s beautiful when she smiles.

“Seems so. Not too disappointed, are you?” He teases and watches with rapt attention as she pulls her lips back into her mouth before a smile stretches across her face once more.

“Disappointed is certainly not the word I’d use.”

Yup, there goes his stomach again.

* * *

The smell of fall in the air, the sound of Ada and William laughing as they played a few feet away, the sight of Oliver Queen on a picnic rug, smiling handsomely at her as he offered food…

“Felicity!”

Felicity blinks as she snaps out of her memories of the day before and blushes as she realises that she just completely dazed out of her conversation with Iris.

“Sorry!” She apologies profusely, taking another sip of her coffee and wishing that it were something cold. She and Iris are at their weekly coffee date, which is an appointment Felicity has grown to really look forward to. Iris is lovely and the fact that her husband is happy to watch Ada whilst she and his wife enjoy some well-needed girl time just adds to the appeal.

“What is going on between you and Oliver Queen?” Iris questions outright and Felicity frowns at the blunt question.

“I don’t know what you mean. William and Ada are friends.” She attempts to cover but Iris only scoffs and shakes her head.

“And my kids are friends with Ada but you and I aren’t exchanging longing looks over the playground.” The other woman tells her, pursing her lips and raising an eyebrow.

“We do not!” Felicity gasps, more at the fact that Iris has been watching her and Oliver than shame for doing it in the first place.

“Oh but you do. Come on, spill!” Iris grins, leaning across the table.

“There’s nothing to spill. Not yet, anyway.” Felicity assures her, drinking more of her coffee but that doesn’t seem to please Iris as she huffs.

“But you think there might be in the future? Or you hope?” She questions, wiggling her eyebrows that reminds Felicity far too much of her mother.

“I don’t know.”

“Oh, come on! Spill the beans. God, I bet that man is an incredible kisser and the size of his arms! Wow.” Iris comments and sighs, her voice suddenly breathy. That makes Felicity snort as she laughs.

“Do you need a fan? Need I remind you you’re a happily married woman.” She questions, raising an eyebrow of her own but Iris merely grins.

“Oh I know, but Oliver Queen is on my Local Three list.” She states as if Felicity is supposed to know what the hell that is.

“Your _Local _Three list?” She asks, having heard of a three list but never with ‘local’ added in.

“Yup. So you have your three list and then there’s a Local Three list for local celebrities and the like.” Iris explains with a smile as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world but Felicity is unconvinced.

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s a thing,” Felicity tells her dubiously but Iris just shakes her head.

“Oh, it is. Bethany Snow is on Barry’s, you know the news lady?” Iris grins and Felicity shakes her head in bafflement.

“You both have one?” She asks and Iris nods, reaching for her own coffee cup.

“Yup. Then it’s fair, you see?” The other woman smiles and Felicity frowns.

“You baffle me.” She states but Iris merely grins.

“Thank you.” The way she quirks her head to the side makes Felicity chuckle. “But promise me you’ll keep me up to date if anything does happen. I’m an old married lady now, Felicity. I need to live vicariously through you.”

“I highly doubt anyone is calling you old. Especially not Barry.” Felicity reminds her with a laugh.

“Well no but still, this is exciting for me,” Iris tells her with a determined nod.

“Oh, I can tell. Remind me to never introduce you to my mother. I have a feeling the two of you might get on a little too well.”

* * *

“Hi, Ollie!”

“Hi, Speedy.” Oliver smiles as his sister makes her way into the apartment. He’s in the kitchen with William, showing his son how to make the pasta he’s cooking for dinner.

“Oh, something smells good. I see you’ve found a new sous chef.” Thea teases, rounding the island to kiss William on the cheek.

“We’re making pasta!” William tells her and Thea chuckles, running her fingers through her hair.

“Well if it tastes half as good as it smells, you’ve done a marvellous job.” She tells him and the way William grins up at her makes Oliver’s entire world come into focus for a moment.

“Are you free on Saturday night?” Oliver asks his sister, the question and idea that has been bubbling in his mind for the past few days just pouring out.

“I can be. Why?” Thea asks with a smile, winking at William as she steals a piece of bell pepper off the chopping board.

“I was just wondering if you could watch William… and Ada.” Oliver mumbles the last two words but his sister has the hearing of a bat and her eyebrows immediately shoot up.

“And why would Ada’s mother be otherwise indisposed?” She questions, a smirk slowly stretching across her face.

“I’m hoping that she will be at dinner… with me.” Oliver answers quietly but Thea still squeals loudly, making both William and Oliver jump.

“Oh my god, Ollie! You’re going to ask her?” The teenager questions, bouncing on her feet and Oliver smiles. He’s excited about it too, to be honest. After his reaction to how wonderful Felicity looked on Saturday and how right the four of them spending the day together had felt, he truly can’t deny it any more.

“Yes, if I can work up the nerve tomorrow.” He tells her with a small smile.

“This is so exciting! What changed your mind?” Thea questions, looking at him curiously and Oliver smiles, shrugging his shoulders.

“I didn’t change it but I guess… I had such a wonderful time on Saturday, I just know that I want her in my life.” He tells her simply, watching as his sister blinks at him a few times.

“Ollie, you’re gonna make me cry.”

“Stop.” He warns her, waving the broccoli head he’s holding in her direction and she grins.

“Fine, but only because you finally removed your head from your a…. behind,” Thea tells him, glancing over at William as she catches herself. The little boy giggles, clearing knowing what she was going to say or at least that it was a word he shouldn’t say.

“You’re going to dinner with Felicity?” William questions, looking up at Oliver where he’s stood on top of a stool and Oliver gives him a small smile.

“If she agrees to go with me. Is that okay with you? You and Ada can hang out with Aunt Thea.” He explains and he feels a little bad, using his son’s best friend as a bargaining chip but also, he really hopes that William’s okay with this.

“Can we watch a movie?” William asks, looking over at his aunt who nods her head.

“Sure,” Thea replies with a shrug of her shoulders, obviously not too bothered about the suggestion.

“Ada likes Moana.” William states and that has Thea smiling.

“Girl’s got good taste.” The teenager smirks and Oliver chuckles, shaking his head at his sister’s antics.

“So is Felicity going to be your girlfriend?” William questions as he turns back to Oliver and the father freezes for a moment. It’s not the sort of thing he’s ever had to think about before he asks a girl out on a first date, he’s always been a see how it goes kind of person.

That is not, however, an explanation to give to a six-year-old.

“Well, it’s not quite as simple as that.” He states, trying to cover but it seems that William doesn’t accept that as his frown persists.

“Oh. Would you like her to be your girlfriend?” He asks and Oliver thinks for a moment. He likes Felicity, as in truly likes her, and there’s nothing to dislike about Ada, she’s an extremely sweet little girl. He thinks back to how right it felt, walking through the park with Felicity by his side as the kids played together up ahead and he knows what he wants to say.

“I think I might. Is that alright with you?” Oliver poses and William smiles with a small shrug.

“Uh-huh. Felicity’s nice and if you two are boyfriend and girlfriend, then I’ll get to spend more time with Ada.” He states and Oliver chuckles.

“That’s true. But it wouldn’t make you sad, if I sometimes went out with her and you stayed here with Aunt Thea or went to John and Lyla’s?” He questions and that makes William freeze but only for a moment. He’s quickly shrugging his shoulders as he turns back to cutting tomatoes with the dull knife Oliver gave him.

“No, Mommy used to do that sometimes. She said that mommies and daddies need to have fun as well. You deserve to have fun too, and Felicity seems like she’s fun.” William tells him and Oliver breathes a sigh of relief for both the seamless mention of Samantha and his son’s acceptance of the date. William is just starting to be able to speak about his mother without crying and Oliver is glad because he wants to make sure that Samantha’s memory stays alive within him. She was a wonderful mother and she loved William very much, Oliver always wants his son to remember that.

“Oh, I bet she is.” Thea snorts from where she’s moved to sit on one of the stalls on the other side of the island.

“Speedy.” Oliver warns, shooting her a look that only earns him a grin before he looks back to his son. “You’re sure you don’t mind?”

“No. You’re not going to be all gross like in front of me though, are you?” The six-year-old questions, wrinkling up his nose and Oliver frowns.

“What does all gross like mean?” He asks before he answers and William shudders.

“Like kissing and things.” The little boy clarifies and Oliver chuckles, shaking his head.

“No buddy, we wouldn’t do that in front of you.” He assures him and William smiles, nodding his head.

“That’s okay then.”

Oliver smiles, leaning down to plant a kiss on the top of William’s head. He truly has the best son. And even if Thea is a little annoying at times, he loves her too.

* * *

“And we also learned that volcanos spit lava and fire! Isn’t that cool?” Ada questions as she clings to Felicity’s hand, walking through the playground towards the school building.

“It’s very cool,” Felicity replies democratically, wincing as Ada tugs a little too hard on her hand.

“Felicity.”

Oliver’s smooth voice is like a balm to her ears. It’s been a long morning of resistance from her daughter and the sight of Oliver and William makes her smile.

“Oh, hi Oliver. Hi William.” She greets, smiling down warmly at the little boy who waves up at her.

“Hi Felicity, hi Ada.” He smiles, looking over at her daughter who finally releases her tight hold on her mother’s hand.

“Hi Will! You wanna go play hopscotch before we go in?” Ada offers and William nods excitedly, letting go of Oliver’s hand himself.

“Yeah!”

“Be back in a bit, Mama,” Ada calls as they rush off and Felicity rolls her shoulder as she winces at the exuberance of her daughter. Don’t get her wrong, it’s one of her favorite parts of Ada but also, girl has got a grip.

“I swear I don’t feed her spoonfuls of sugar for breakfast.” She tells Oliver as they watch the two of them run around and Oliver chuckles, shaking his head. He really rather handsome when he does that, she muses for a moment before she catches herself.

“Oh no, I know by now that’s just part of her charm.” He tells her with a smirk.

“Charm’s the word.” She comments, watching as Oliver wipes his hands on his pants before she catches the slightly increased rate of his breathing with a frown. “Are you alright? You look a little nervous.”

“Sort of depends on how this conversation goes.” He tells her cryptically and Felicity raises an eyebrow as a prompt. “Are you free Saturday evening?”

“I think so. Does Will have something he wants to do with Ada?” Felicity questions, looking back over to where the two of them are chasing each other around in something that looks decidedly different from hopscotch.

“Um no, well yes, but no,” Oliver replies and she frowns, looking back at him with an amused raised eyebrow.

“You know, normally I’m the one who doesn’t make much sense.” She reminds him with a smirk and he takes a deep breath, smiling at her for a moment before he finally speaks some sense.

“It’s just Thea is happy to watch Ada with Will because I was wondering if you might like to go to dinner with me.”

Oh.

_Oh. _

“Dinner as in, we’re two parents who are friends or _dinner _dinner?” She asks, not wanting to read too much into this but also already reading far too much into it.

“Both?” He asks and he’s so adorably nervous that Felicity feels like she might squeal. This right here is everything she’s been trying to convince herself she doesn’t want since she met this man and it’s as if now that he’s offering it, she can’t even properly process it. “I’ve overstepped, I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be silly. I would love to go to dinner with you.” Felicity rushes to correct him as he starts to worry that she is turning him down and the smile that spreads across her face is enough to make her feel as giddy as Ada faced with a plate full of candy.

“Really?” He asks and she smiles with a nod.

“Really. Is this like fancy dinner? Do I need a nice dress?” She suddenly asks, wondering what it’s like to go out with a person as well-established as Oliver Queen. She’s been to nice restaurants, don’t get her wrong, but she imagines he rarely frequents the places you can find her nowadays.

Which is basically just Big Belly Burger.

“Do you like Italian? There’s a wonderful place on Park and 10th.” Oliver tells her and Felicity smiles. She’s driven past the place a few times and it has caught her eye but it’s the sort of establishment that she just never has the right person to go with. It’s certainly not the place to show up alone. She’s actually super excited to try it.

“I’ve seen that. Looks wonderful and yes, I love Italian.” She confirms and he smiles at her, this adorable, hopeful expression on his face.

“I would say I’d pick you up but if you’d like to drop Ada at mine… shall we say six-thirty and I’ll make a reservation for seven?” He offers and she nods.

“That sounds perfect.”

“Excellent.”

Their eyes linger on each other for a long moment, each of them drowning in the blue.

“Felicity!”

* * *

Felicity stares at herself in the mirror.

It’s like she doesn’t know who this person is anymore. There was a time when getting dressed up in a nice dress and doing her hair and makeup was almost common in her life but since having Ada, she can count the times she’s done this on one hand.

She loves this dress and she thinks she looks good in it. The red fabric clings to her curves and the slight peplum only emphasises that. The neckline is interesting without being too revealing and the hem hits just below her knee. She’s left her hair down and tamed her curls, pining the shallower side of her parting behind her ear to reveal her earrings. They’re a pair she picked up in Vegas last year when she and Ada went to visit her mother. They’re gorgeous but she hasn’t had a chance to wear them yet. Her makeup is soft but she’s painted on a red lip to match the dress and she thinks it ties it all together quite nicely. 

“Wow Mama, you look like a princess!”

Felicity jumps at the sound of a voice and turns to see Ada stood in her bedroom doorway, looking at her with what can only be described as awe on her face. It makes Felicity smile.

She remembers when she was very young, younger than Ada even, that she had too enjoyed watching her mother paint lipstick on her lips and curl her hair to get ready for an evening out with her father. Of course, more often than not, her father would call to cancel or tell her that he simply had too much work to do. When that happened, Donna would merely smile, pull Felicity onto her lap and paint Felicity’s lips the same bright shade she was wearing. Her mother would tell her that they were the most respectable ladies in all the land and a tea party was required immediately.

She’d always loved the memory of those nights, even as she and her mother grew apart, and now, she sees them as a true mark of the strength of the woman who raised her. To be able to turn a disappointment into a pleasant memory for her daughter is a true skill that Felicity knows she doesn’t thank her mother for enough.

“Thank you, baby. You like it?” She questions, turning to look at Ada who nods enthusiastically. 

“Uh-huh, and I think Oliver will too.” The six-year-old attempts an odd version of a wink that has Felicity choking on a laugh.

“Who taught you to wink like that?” She questions as she walks over towards Ada and bends down in front of her. It’s a little awkward in the dress but she manages and Ada smiles at her brightly.

“Dawn. She says her mama thinks it’s really funny.” Ada explains and Felicity nods, she’s unsurprised to learn it’s something that’s technically come from Iris. It was either that or her mother.

“I’m sure she does. Do you have all your things?” Felicity brushes over it, not actually annoyed, as she looks down at the bag Ada is holding in her hand.

“Uh-huh, I got my pyjamas and my toothbrush and Katie!” The little girl declares and Felicity smirks at the sight of the stuffed kangaroo sticking out of the top of the bag. They’ve decided that Ada isn’t actually going to sleep over all night but if Thea can get her settled down, Felicity can just transfer her to the car and then again to her bed at home when she and Oliver get back.

“Well done baby. You promise you’re going to be good for Thea?” Felicity questions, reaching out to tuck some of Ada’s loose hair behind her ear as the small girl smiles.

“Promise.” She tells her convincingly with a nod and Felicity smiles, placing her hands on her knees to stand.

“Alright.”

She gathers her own things into her clutch bag and grabs her keys before she leads Ada down to the car. There’s a slight bite to the air and she wishes she picked up a coat as she drives the few blocks to Oliver’s apartment building. The doorman waves them up, recognising the two of them from the other day and before Felicity knows it, she’s stood in front of the door with her stomach fluttering nervously.

“Hi!” Ada grins as the door swings open to reveal Oliver stood there.

He’s dressed in a suit that Felicity is sure must be custom made just by how well it fits. It clings to the muscular body evident below whilst not being too tight around his waist or in the pants. His tie is almost an exact colour match for her dress and she smiles at the thought of it.

He looks incredible.

Truly good enough to eat and well… Felicity is rather hungry.

“Hey Ada, come on in.” He says after a moment, allowing the little girl to zoom past him before his eyes settle on Felicity. She blushes under his gaze as he looks her up and down and she has to admit that she enjoys the slight dumbfounded expression he wears. “Wow, you look…”

“Too much?” She questions with a wince as he trails off. She’s only ever driven past the restaurant which didn’t give her the best of indications about the level of formality they expect from their patrons and his suit isn’t giving her much indication either.

“No!” Oliver answers quickly and loudly, making her jump. It’s his turn to blush as he smiles at her sheepishly, shaking his head. “Sorry, it’s just.. you look perfect.”

“You don’t scrub up badly yourself, Mr Queen.” She covers with a small smirk, hoping that the humour covers the shudder that goes through her at his words.

_Perfect. _She doesn’t think anyone has ever called her that before.

“Alright lovebirds, get out of here, we’ve got fun to be had.” Thea’s amused voice jolts them out of their staring contest and Felicity turns to see the teenager leaning against the island. She’s smirking and both Ada and William are stood in front of her.

“Yeah, Mama.” Ada giggles, cocking her hip in a way that makes her look more sixteen than six.

“Alright, missy. Don’t I at least get a kiss?” She questions, stepping just inside the door to bend down awkwardly in her dress once more. Ada doesn’t hesitate and flings herself into her arms, kissing her quickly before she falls into the hug.

“I love you.” She tells her and Felicity smiles, her hand moving to cup her daughter’s small head.

“I love you too, baby. Be good and I’ll see you later.” She reminds her gently, letting go of her with a small smile.

“Bye Dad.” Felicity hears William say and she looks over to see the father and son sharing a similar hug.

“Bye buddy, I love you. Have a nice time with Auntie Thea and Ada.” Oliver tells him and Felicity smiles. Oliver has such a tender tone that he uses when he addresses William and it never fails to make her smile.

“I hope you have fun with Felicity.”

“Bye sweetheart.” She tells him when the small boy looks back and smiles at her.

“Bye Felicity.” He replies with a polite nod and she smiles gently as she manages to stand.

“Bye Oliver!” Ada calls and Felicity watches with a smirk as Ada flings herself into Oliver’s arms as well.

“Bye munchkin.” He chuckles as he hugs her tightly before letting her go. Thea comes over to say goodbye as well, kissing Oliver on the cheek and squeezing Felicity’s hand before she practically pushes them out the door.

“Sorry, Ada’s a little exuberant.” Felicity finds herself saying as they make their way to the car. Her hand holds onto Oliver’s offered elbow and she allows herself to revel in how perfectly it seems to fit there.

“Don’t be silly, that was a great hug.” He tells her with a smirk and Felicity hums with a small nod.

“Oh yeah, she’s a great hugger.”

“You really do look beautiful. That dress is amazing.” Oliver tells her after a small pause and Felicity blushes with a smile. It’s been a long time since anyone other than her mother has commented on her appearance and, whilst it’s not validation that she needs, she has to admit that it feels nice.

“Thank you. Did William help you pick out your tie?” She questions, remembering her thought from earlier and Oliver frowns, his free hand rising to fiddle with it.

“That obvious?” He questions nervously and Felicity immediately feels bad.

“No. It’s just Ada asked me what colour dress I was planning on wearing yesterday morning. I think she must have told him.” She rushes to explain, smiling as understanding crosses Oliver’s face.

“Oh, he was rather insistent on the colour.” He muses and Felicity hums.

“I thought so.”

“Does that bother you?” He questions, looking over at her with a raised eyebrow and she scoffs.

“Other than my daughter potentially scheming at age six?” She smirks with a raised eyebrow, loving the sound of Oliver’s soft chuckle she gets in response. “No. I like it.”

“I’m glad.” He tells her and her stomach flips once more at the tender tone to his voice.

He’s a perfect gentleman as they make their way to the restaurant. He opens the door for her in the garage, jokes gently about how nice it is to not have to check seatbelts on a car seat, and gestures the valet away at the other end so that he himself can help her out of the car.

The restaurant is gorgeous.

It’s all muted lighting and elegant tables with waiters in the classic shirt, waistcoat, and bow tie combination. Oliver holds her chair out for her as they sit down and smiles as the waiter arrives for their drink order.

“Wine?” Oliver asks, looking over at her and Felicity smiles politely.

“Just a water please.” She tells the waiter, who nods before he turns to look at Oliver expectantly.

“Are you sure?” Oliver questions and Felicity takes a deep breath, nodding her head.

“Oh, alcohol will not mix well with the three benzos I took. Plus, I have to drive Ada home later.” She offers as an explanation and he smiles warmly before nodding his acceptance.

“Water for me as well please.” He tells the waiter who nods and heads off. “You alright?”

“A little nervous. I know it seems silly but…” She trails off, resisting the urge to reach up and fiddle with her earring which is her go-to when she’s feeling nervous.

“No, I get it.” He tells her, his tender gaze lingering on hers and in this lighting, Felicity swears he could be a movie star. That face of his is so damn handsome. “Are we being ridiculous? I mean what is there to be nervous about? We know we like each other.”

“It’s just been a while since I’ve done this. When I was getting ready earlier, I realised that I don’t think I’ve even looked at a dress like this in six years.” She jokes but Oliver’s gaze remains true on hers.

“I’m sure the world mourned.” He tells her, a small smirk pulling at his lips and she snorts, sending him a reproachful look.

“Stop it.”

“We may be old parents now but we can still have some fun.” He tells her and she smiles as the waiter returns, placing their waters in front of them.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

There’s another long pause where their eyes just linger upon each other’s and Felicity is starting to realise what Iris was saying about longing looks.

“Was William alright with all of this?” She asks after taking a sip of water, grateful for how the liquid lubricates her dry throat.

“Oh yeah, he says it’s fine as long as we don’t do anything gross like kiss in front of him,” Oliver tells her and Felicity smirks but also blushes at the insinuation that there will be kissing coming later. “Really I think he’s just excited because he thinks he’ll get to see Ada more.”

“Ada’s the same. Plus the fact that my mother has drilled into her that she needs to help me find a boyfriend.” She jokes with a roll of her eyes at the thought.

“Oh really?” Oliver questions, his eyebrow raised in curiosity and Felicity smirks.

“My mother is… quite something.” She explains and he chuckles, nodding his head.

“She sounds it.” He comments and lifts his own glass towards his mouth. Felicity forces herself not to linger on his fingers wrapped around his glass lest she spiral into thoughts entirely inappropriate for this extremely fancy setting.

“Don’t get me wrong. My mother’s an incredible woman, she can just be a little intense at times.” She explains and Oliver nods, his smile gentle as he gazes at her across the table.

“She helped you with Ada before you moved to Starling?” Oliver questions and Felicity nods her head, unable to stop the smile that spreads across her face at the thought of all her mother has done for her since Ada was born.

“She was an absolute godsend and she dotes on Ada still. They’re so close, I love it.” She explains and Oliver nods.

“That is sweet.” He tells her and she swallows.

“I was worried, when I found out I was pregnant, that my mom was going to be mad. She had me young and she always told me that it wasn’t what she wanted for me. But she’s been exactly what the both of us need.” She tells him and he smiles.

“Yeah?” He speaks and she knows that it’s a prompt to continue speaking. That’s not something that Felicity’s ever struggled with but she does appreciate his indications that he is still listening and is interested because often she can feel like she’s rambling at a brick wall when she speaks to other people.

“Yeah. Having Ada… she completely changed my life. I know it looks to the outside like she might have set me back, like I may have been able to get into the field I wanted to be in far sooner if I hadn’t had her but truthfully, I have never been able to see it that way. She’s my entire life. I always say that, in some way, the day she was born was the day I was reborn. It’s cheesy but looking down at her in that hospital, I just knew I was about to embark on the best journey of my life.”

“I don’t think it’s cheesy, I think it’s true. I knew I loved William before I even laid eyes on him. To know you have a child… there’s a piece of you walking around in the world. It’s incredible.”

The smile on Oliver’s face that grows as he speaks about his son is truly one of the most beautiful sights that Felicity thinks she’s ever seen. It’s so incredible, to see how deeply Oliver loves and adores his son, and it makes her hopeful that this might work between them. Their relationships with their children will always have to come first but Oliver _knows _that because he agrees with it and Felicity thinks that she might have just won the lottery.

“Right? How is he doing? William?” She questions and that smile only grows.

“Far better. I can’t overexaggerate the influence that Ada’s had on him. There are still bad days, don’t get me wrong, but he gets excited now in a way that he didn’t before. He seems happy and I am so glad because that’s all I want for him.” Oliver tells her with that same wide smile on his face and Felicity cannot help but grin too.

“I’m so glad for you. He’s such an incredible little boy and you are a wonderful father.” She tells him honestly and Oliver blushes.

“I’m just happy I’ve had such a fantastic parental role model to look up to these past few months.” He tells her and his words make her think he might be exaggerating to make her laugh but when she looks up at him, his expression is deadly serious.

“Oh stop.” She tells him with a reproachful look and he smiles but shakes his head.

“Honestly though, you’re an incredibly inspirational woman, Felicity Smoak. You’ve worked so hard to be where you are today and your passion for both your role within the company and your role as Ada’s mom shine incredibly bright.” Oliver tells her and Felicity shakes her head at him.

“You’re going to give me a complex if you’re not careful.” She covers with humour, thinking she just might cry if she does anything else.

“Good.” He tells her and there’s such a conviction to his tone that it throws Felicity off for a moment.

“I know it might seem like every other parent has got more of a handle on things than you have. God, looking at Iris with the twins in an insanely humbling experience. But you’re doing a fantastic job with William and you’re right that if he’s happy, that’s the most important thing.”

“Thank you.” Oliver smiles at her with a blush. Felicity knows that he’s not entirely comfortable in his role as William’s father just yet but she thinks she might just tell him how wonderful she finds him to be until he does. “Would it be awful to say that I don’t want to talk about the kids anymore?”

“I won’t tattle if that’s what you’re worried about,” Felicity smirks as she takes another sip of her water and Oliver laughs as he shakes his head.

“No, I say from here on out, we are two people on a first date. Talk to me about Felicity. I want to get to know _you, _not just who you are as Ada’s mom.”

Felicity freezes at his question. It’s hard to contemplate, Ada has been her focus for so long. She doesn’t really know who she is outside of that anymore. Her daughter is her entire world and she’s not allowed herself to explore herself away from that because she hasn’t had the ability. Being a single parent has meant that she has had to be there all the time, her girl has no one else.

“Well, what do you want to know?”

* * *

Oliver cannot stop looking at Felicity as they make their way back up to the apartment.

She’s so beautiful. That dress is more than he ever could have imagined and she truly looks like all his dreams come true. He’s had the most fantastic of nights and he loves that she’s so open and vulnerable with him. It’s refreshing and it just makes him want to know more.

“Thank you so much for such a lovely night.” He tells her, squeezing their entwined hands gently and she smiles at him, looking up at him through her lashes in a way that makes Oliver’s stomach flutter.

“Thank you for asking, I had a wonderful time.” She tells him sweetly and Oliver suddenly feels like this is all coming to an end far too soon. They’re in his corridor, with the door to his apartment only a few feet away.

“Do you think we can stop for a moment?” He asks her and she frowns, turning to look at him as the slack in their arms tightens as she steps too far away from him.

“What’s wrong?” She questions and he shakes his head, smiling reassuringly at her.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted one second to do this.”

He tugs on her hand until she’s inches from him, his hand rising to cup the smooth skin of her cheek. She’s so gorgeous like this, eyelashes fluttering as she looks at him. He searches for resistance in her eyes and feels relief settle into his bones when he finds none. He takes a single last fortifying breath before he leans forward and captures her lips with his own.

Oliver has never been one to overexaggerate unnecessarily but there isn’t a single thing about this kiss that isn’t absolutely perfect. The world around them narrows until it feels like there is nothing but the two of them and the feel of each other. Felicity’s lips are soft and her cheek is smooth under his fingers. His free arm reaches to clasp her around the waist and Oliver swallows her gasp as her body arches up against his. Her hands fist in his shirt where they’ve landed on his chest and Oliver thinks that if he could freeze time and live in only this moment for the rest of his life, he could declare himself the happiest man to have ever lived.

“Was that alright?” He asks breathlessly as they pull away and Felicity looks up at him through her lashes once more, sparking a hunger deep inside him.

“More than.” She breathes heavily and suddenly she’s rising onto her toes and kissing him again and Oliver knows that they need to move out of the hallway but for now, he cannot bring himself to care. For now, they are Oliver and Felicity, and he wants to stay wrapped up in only her for just a few moments longer.

* * *

The next month passes in the happiest Oliver thinks he’s ever been.

He feels like a teenager all over again, just wanting to spend all his time with Felicity.

The best part of it, however, is how much closer he feels himself becoming with William, and with Ada too. Dinners with the four of them and trips to the park and the zoo and the aquarium… It all feels like everything he never knew he’s always wanted.

He has a break in work one day and heads down to the IT department to see if he can’t steal Felicity away from her own work for ten minutes. They’ve agreed to keep things hush at work, knowing that the minute anyone finds out there, the tabloids will be on them like a shot and neither of them want to go through that or put the kids through that. If he’s lucky though, he hopes he’ll be able to convince her to join him in his office for a few moments.

“I can’t leave her, Tom!”

The sound of Felicity’s raised voice makes him frown as he makes his way off the elevator and towards where he now knows Felicity’s desk sits.

“We’re understaffed as we are. Don’t you have a friend who can go be with her?” Whoever she’s arguing with answers and Oliver frowns. He knows that Tom is the name of Felicity’s boss, she complains about his incompetence a lot but won’t let him do anything to help.

“She might have broken her leg. She’s six years old for crying out loud!” Felicity replies and the anguish is evident in his girlfriend’s voice. The news about Ada startles him and he quickly rounds the corner, finding the two facing each other. Felicity is visibly distressed and Oliver can understand why. If Ada’s in the hospital, she needs to get there.

Now.

“What is going on in here?” He asks as he enters the room, immediately drawing the attention of both Felicity and her boss. He’s grateful to see the relief that passes over his girlfriend’s face.

“Oh! Mr Queen. Sorry, we didn’t mean to disturb you.” Felicity’s boss tells him and he waves him off.

“Not at all. I was just coming down here to find Miss Smoak myself. I had an issue with my computer.” He covers excellently but that only seems to fuel the man’s anger towards Felicity.

“See? There’s far too much to be done here.” He comments, gesturing towards Oliver who frowns and turns to see Felicity’s pleading gaze on him. He knows it must be bad for her to want his help.

“What’s happening?” He questions as he steps up to her, having to fight the urge to place a comforting hand on her arm or even pull her in for a hug.

“I need to go. The school called, Ada’s at the hospital.” She explains quickly and Oliver frowns, searching her face to try and gauge the level of distress. She’s clearly worried but she must know that Ada’s alright at the very least.

“What happened? Is she okay?” He questions and Felicity heaves a long sigh.

“She apparently jumped off the top of the monkey bars? I don’t even know how she would have gotten up there. They think her leg might be broken.” She winces and Oliver immediately nods.

“Get your stuff. I’ll drive you.” He tells her, unable to stop himself this time from placing a hand on her arm.

“Oliver…” She sighs reproachfully, looking at him but he shakes his head.

“No arguments. You shouldn’t be driving when you’re this worried.” He reminds her and she looks as if she might argue again before he levels her with a look.

“Thank you.” She sighs and he smiles gently at her, squeezing her arm before he lets go. He watches as she rushes across to her desk.

“I see how it is.” Felicity’s boss’ cold voice speaks and Oliver frowns, turning to look at him with an incredulous look. Whatever the case truly is, someone at this man’s level shouldn’t be speaking to a CEO like that.

“Miss Smoak and I’s children are in the same class at school. There is nothing to see, Mr…?” Oliver explains carefully, raising an eyebrow as he prompts for the man’s name.

“Holden. Tom Holden, Sir.”

“Right. I would remind you, Mr. Holden, that my company has a very distinct policy about familial sick pay being available to employees with dependants. I should hate to think that you were ignoring company policy.” Oliver states calmly, stepping closer to the man as he purses his lips and Tom withers under the intensity of his gaze.

“Of course not, Sir. I was simply worried that we would not have enough staff to cover the workload.” He tries to cover up and Oliver nods.

“I will send my assistant down to help. He is very adept with computers.” He tells him and types a message out to his assistant, looking up at the man in front of him when he’s done.

“Of course, Sir. Thank you.” Tom tells him but Oliver’s attention is distracted as Felicity appears back at his side.

“You ready?” He questions, his voice dropping to a much softer tone and she nods. Oliver gives Tom once last nod before he leads Felicity to the elevator.

“Thank you. For that.” She finally speaks as they ride down to the garage and Oliver shakes his head, reaching for her hand which she gladly gives.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just glad I got there when I did.” He tells her, squeezing her hand and she smiles gently before she sighs, obviously agitated that the elevator isn’t going quicker. He knows how she feels, the other month when he heard about the situation with William and his mother at the creche, all he wanted to do was to make the plane fly faster so he could get to his son.

“Is your computer really broken?” Felicity asks after a moment and he smirks, shaking his head.

“Not at all. I just thought I might steal you away for ten minutes.” He tells her truthfully and she sighs, looking up at him reproachfully.

“Oliver… we agreed not at work.” She reminds him and Oliver nods.

“I know, but I had a pause in work and thought you might appreciate the distraction.” He explains with a shrug and she looks at him in that gentle way that makes him remember just how deep his affections for her run.

“I would have done.” She tells him, her voice barely louder than a whisper and that palpable energy begins to grow between them once more. Then the elevator doors open with a long ding and they’re both reminded exactly what they’re doing.

“Did the school say anything more?” Oliver questions as they rush over to his car and Felicity shakes her head.

“No, just that they’ve taken her to Starling General.” She relays and Oliver nods, climbing in and starting the engine.

“Alright, come on then.”

The ride over is silent except for Oliver’s occasional curse of the stupidity of some of the drivers on the road slowing him down. He reaches over and clasps Felicity’s hand in his own, hoping that he can at least offer her some comfort until she can see that her baby girl is alright.

Luckily, there’s a space quite near the entrance and Oliver throws the car into park, the both of them rushing into the emergency room.

“Mama!”

Ada’s cry alerts them over to where she’s sat immediately and Oliver watches as Felicity swoops in towards her daughter, hugging her close and being careful to avoid where her leg is bent at an incredibly uncomfortable-looking angle.

“Oh, baby girl.” Felicity sighs as her arms finally wrap around the tiny girl and Oliver feels himself choking up as he watches the two girls he’s starting to consider his own family embrace so tightly.

“Hurts, Mama,” Ada tells her and Oliver feels her words through him like a jolt. Ada’s such a sweet little thing and she truly doesn’t deserve any pain.

“I know, baby, but the doctors are going to look at it and make it all better, okay?” Felicity attempts to reassure her, stroking her hand over Ada’s hair.

“’ kay.” Ada replies simply, cuddling up into her mother and it breaks Oliver’s heart to see a kid as usually bubbly as Ada is, so resigned and sad.

“Mr Queen. I’m Alisha Warren, the teaching assistant from Ada’s class.” The woman who had been sat with Ada approaches and Oliver blinks for a moment as he takes her words in.

“Of course, hi.” He finally greets, extending his hand towards her and she smiles sadly, shaking it. She hands over two clipboards which Oliver looks down to see are admission papers. Some of the information has been filled out but there’s still a lot left to do. He looks over the boxes and realises that he can’t help with this.

“If you could just get Miss Smoak to double-check the information on these and fill the rest out?” Alisha tells him and Oliver nods.

“Of course. Thank you so much coming in with her.” He tells the woman who immediately waves him off.

“No issue at all. Ada’s a very sweet girl.”

“She certainly is. What happened exactly?” Oliver questions, knowing that if anyone knows, it’s going to be the teaching assistant.

“She was on the monkey bars when one of the boys in the class claimed that she was too scared to climb on top of them. It appears that Ada took that as a challenge and decided that jumping off the top would prove her bravery. We’ll be having a conversation with them all about the danger of daring each other.”

“I see. Thank you again.”

“Of course. I hope she feels better soon.” Alisha tells him before she moves to collect her things. She says goodbye to both Ada and Felicity, not getting much of a response from the former, before she moves towards the door.

“Hey, there sweetheart,” Oliver speaks gently as he sits down on the other side of the little girl. She looks up from Felicity’s neck but doesn’t react otherwise. “I hear you hurt your leg.”

“Uh-huh. It hurts real bad.” She finally speaks and her voice seems so small. It’s so unlike Ada and it breaks Oliver’s heart.

“I know. I’ve hurt my leg like that before.” He tells her and that seems to pique the little girl’s interest.

“You have?” She asks, sitting up properly and Oliver smiles, nodding his head.

“Yup. Tell you what, why don’t you come here and sit with me whilst Mama takes a look at these forms for the doctor? I’ll tell you all about it.” He offers, gently passing the clipboards over as Ada begins to slump his way.

“’ kay.”

Felicity sends him a grateful look as she picks up the pen and begins to fill in what she needs to but Oliver waves her off, just hoping that he can ease Ada’s pain a little and lessen her trepidation about what might be to come.

* * *

Felicity sighs as she finally sinks into the couch later on.

She’s so immensely tired and so grateful that Ada is finally asleep. She truly did not want to have to put her leg up on the pillows Felicity and Oliver had piled up on her bed but finally, the exhaustion from everything took over and she’d passed out.

“You okay?” Oliver asks her gently and Felicity sighs.

“Yeah. I just hate seeing her in pain.” She explains with a small smile and he nods.

“I know. C’mere.” He tells her, opening his arms and Felicity falls into them with no hesitation. She just feels so safe when he’s holding her, like everything is going to be okay.

“Thank you so much for being there today.” She mumbles into his chest and smiles as she feels his lips plant a kiss in her hair.

“Hey, of course.” He tells her and Felicity jumps at the loud ding of a phone going off. “That’s just Thea. She’s picking Will up from the creche. Is it okay if she brings him here?”

“Of course,” Felicity tells him, still speaking into his chest. There’s a moment where the two of them just are. They just sit there, revelling in the comfort they can give each other and it’s in that moment that Felicity knows this is a man she can see herself loving for a long time.

He’s been so incredibly wonderful with Ada today, he’s lifted her spirits when she was down and has been so gentle with both her body when he’s been helping to move her and her emotions. When her daughter got upset about having to miss school for a few days, Oliver promised to bring Will over each night so that she can see her friend and he can catch her up on what she missed. When she complained of being hungry, he returned with Ada’s favorite flavour of potato chips in what seemed like seconds.

He’s truly the most wonderful father and she’s so grateful to have him in her and Ada’s life.

“So how long do you think it’s going to take for her to be begging to have that cast off?” He asks her after a long moment and Felicity groans.

“Oh, don’t. She’s all excited by it now but wait until she realises that she can’t run around like a maniac anymore. It’ll be game over for me.” She huffs, knowing that the novelty of the bright green cast will wear off as quickly as all other novelties do for six-year-olds.

“You know I’m always here to help,” Oliver tells her and Felicity smiles, snuggling in further to his chest.

“I know. You’ve been such a godsend today, thank you so much.” She tells him, kissing him gently through the fabric of his shirt and she feels more than hears him chuckle as he bends to kiss her hair again.

“Stop thanking me, it’s what I’m here for.” He tells her and that makes Felicity frown. As wonderful as he’s been with Ada today, it’s still scary to know that she might be letting this man into their lives for the long haul. It’s been just the two of them for so long and Felicity unsure of whether she actually wants to let that go.

“Is it?” She questions and his arms tense around her.

“Felicity?” He questions and she takes a deep breath, letting their embrace fortify her for a moment before she pulls back and separates from him.

“No, it’s just that whenever we’re alone, you’re very insistent that we don’t talk about the kids.” She tells him and it’s not that she wants to make him feel guilty about it, it’s just something that’s been playing on her mind for a while. She looks away, not wanting to see the look on his face, but he catches her hand in his and brings the other to her chin, forcing her gaze back onto his.

He doesn’t look disappointed, in fact, he’s smiling softly at her.

“That’s not because I don’t love Ada, I do. She’s a wonderful little girl. it’s just that I think our relationship should be founded on something more than attraction and our children’s friendship. It’s not that I never want to talk about the kids, it’s that I want to establish us as an us as well as with the kids.” He tells her and she can hear the conviction in his voice. She can feel the truth behind his words and she can’t describe the feeling to know that he does want to know her.

It's been a long time since anyone’s even thought she was interesting.

“Oh.”

“Is that alright?” He asks her and the nervousness in his voice makes her regret her silence immediately.

“Alright? Oliver, it’s wonderful. I’m sorry. It’s just that for so long it’s just been Ada and I. Bringing more people into it is scary.” Felicity tells him truthfully and he nods, that small smile ever-present on his lips. She knows that he understands it, that he is struggling with the same thing and that honestly just makes it all the better. She’s not scared to tell him this.

“I know. It’s scary to me too to let more people into William’s life when he’s as fragile as he is at the moment.” He replies and Felicity frowns.

“Then why did you let me?” She asks and watches as he chuckles.

“Because I could see what a positive impact Ada is having on him. Then, I saw _you_ with him and I became one hundred percent sure that, if you want, his life will be better with you and Ada in it. Just like mine.”

There’s something more behind his voice, Felicity can tell, and whilst she’s scared to take this final jump off the deep end, she needs to know.

“Oliver, what are you saying?” She asks quietly, leaning into his hand as he reaches up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

“I’m saying that I’m in this for the long haul, Felicity. I’m saying that I want to be with you and I want to build a family with the four of us. If that’s what you want.”

“You’re sure that this isn’t just some initial attraction? That we won’t come to regret allowing the two of them to form such a bond if we have to eventually rip them apart because we fall apart messily?” She questions, all of her fears spilling out of her mouth at once but when she looks up with a wince, all she sees is Oliver’s smiling face.

“Do you think this is just initial attraction?” He asks her with a small smirk and Felicity flushes.

“No.”

“I don’t either. I’m not saying that I don’t think we should take it slow. I just want you to know that I truly think that you might be it for me.”

“Oliver…” She gasps, blinking back the tears that spring to her eyes but he just keeps his gaze on hers as he smiles at her.

“I don’t need to hear it back. I just wanted you to know that I want you and Ada in mine and William’s lives.”

“I want the two of you in ours as well.” She tells him truthfully and he smiles, squeezing her hand.

“Then it’s settled. One step a time.” Oliver says and Felicity takes a deep breath before she nods.

“I would like that very much.”

* * *

Three years later, William and Ada clasp hands as they walk down the aisle throwing petals. Oliver smiles proudly at the both of them form where he waits at the other end. At nine years old, the two of them are still as thick as thieves and it makes Oliver’s heart glow to see how excited they are to finally become siblings properly.

The last three years have presented many a challenge for their small family but they’ve always felt manageable because he’s had Felicity by his side to work through them.

There have been times when it feels like it may never work out, like the kids might never get over the small, petty argument of the week, like they jumped into things far too quickly, but every trial and every single bit of turbulence has led them here, to this moment, and Oliver could not be happier that he’s about to be able to call the woman he loves more than life itself, his wife.

He knows she doesn’t realise exactly how much she’s done for him but without her and Ada, Oliver truly doesn’t know whether he or William would be in the great place they are today and he knows that the relationship between the two of them would not be. Felicity showed him an example he could look up to, she gave him a shoulder to lean on and a friendly face to look for when things weren’t going his way. She proved to him that they could have a life outside of their kids and that they could be happy. The four of them.

His family.

“You better be ready, Daddy, she looks beautiful,” Ada whispers as she passes him and William nods his agreement.

Oliver still grins when the word ‘Dad’ or ‘Daddy’ comes out of either of his children’s mouths. It’s been three years since he gained the moniker from his son and around two years since Ada decided she’d also like to call him that and it still makes his stomach flip each time he hears it. He loves them both with absolutely everything within in and he’s so proud that he gets to be their dad.

William still calls Felicity by her name, or mostly by his nickname for her, ‘Fliss’. They’ve had many a conversation with him, especially after Ada started calling Oliver ‘Dad’, about his name for her being entirely his choice. It’s different with Ada, they’ve always emphasised, because she never knew her biological father but both Oliver and Felicity are very aware that William already has a mom and they want to ensure that Samantha’s memory stays prevalent in William’s mind.

As the congregation stands and turns to face the door, Oliver feels his stomach start to do flips and then she appears.

Ada was not wrong. She’s beautiful.

As she floats down the aisle as an absolute vision in white, her arm linked with her mother’s, Oliver thanks every deity he can think of for leading him to this moment. Three years ago, he was struggling to find him footing in the new situation he found himself in. Both he and his son were struggling to keep afloat, drifting in different directions and desperately trying to clamber their way back to each other.

Then Felicity and Ada appeared and it was like being wrapped up in a blanket after being caught in the rain. Each of his girls took them in, showed them something they needed to see, spoke the words they needed to hear, and it was like the clouds parted. They brought he and William closer together and opened up their hearts and lives in ways he knows neither he nor William ever expected.

And as his bride walks down the aisle towards him and their children, Oliver knows that he cannot wait for what the next leg of their journey might bring.


End file.
